A New Kind of Broken
by WhisperedLove11
Summary: Life was never easy, but Emma Walsh is about to discover just how merciless this new world can be. When her father drags her to Atlanta, they meet up with a diverse group of survivors and she's forced to create bonds with people she'd never have spoken to in her old life. She makes an effort no matter how complicated certain people may be. Daryl/OC Language, Sexual Content&Violence
1. Chapter 1

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter One: "Darker Days"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or anything else you may recognize from the television series/comic book. I do not make any profit from this story, it is purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Okay, so this is definitely NOT my first attempt at a Walking Dead story, but let's hope this one doesn't fail miserably like the last one.**

**There are literally thousands of Daryl/OC stories on this site alone, and I appreciate you taking a peek at mine. I hope it captures and keeps your interest.**

**Reviews are always welcome and extremely motivating, so if you could lemme know how this one went, I'd be really grateful.**

**Kk, I'll stop boring you now. -»**

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**"We aren't really living. **

**We're merely filling in the empty spaces before the inevitable end."**

**-unknown**

She stretched her legs up onto the dashboard and crossed them at her ankles. The mess of cars she saw ahead and in the rear view mirror made the highway look like a glorified traffic jam. In reality, it probably was, since the car had been in park for five hours with no sign of progress anytime soon. The screaming and crying died down as the sun dipped lower in the sky. She watched the sunset paint the firmament in an eerie colour that seemed to match the emotion of the day. A ghostly orange glow surrounded everybody; it was comical, really.

Emma tried to push the buds deeper in her ear when another baby started wailing. She chuckled at herself at the action. Her ipod's battery had died two hours ago, but keeping the earbuds in gave the illusion that she was actually listening to something. It got people to leave her alone at least, and that was all she really wanted.

"Real mature and productive." Alex whispered in her ear, catching on to what she was up to. "Sittin' here doing nothin'."

"You got something better? 'cause I'd love to hear it." She snapped at him, shoving dead ipod into her bag. She glanced around as she got out of the jeep. Everyone had the same expression; looks of panic graced everybody's face, and she couldn't really understand why. They didn't really believe this undead bullshit, did they? It had been on the news for weeks, and they were only doing something about it now? Seemed a bit strange. Unrealistic, even. But after being ambushed by three of them just last night, her view towards the whole thing had changed.. she wasn't convinced they were actually dead, though. That just didn't make sense. The story sounded as if it were made up by a middle-aged man that lived in a basement surrounded by boxes of canned food and blankets.

It was amazing how many people responded to the reports. There must have been hundreds of people piled onto one highway. All hoping for their spot at the refugee camp in the city.

Emma brushed passed Alex and walked up to where she saw Carl playing checkers with a little girl. Sophia, she remembered. "Who's winning?" she asked, leaning her shoulder against the side of the Cherokee jeep that belonged to Carol and Ed, Sophia's parents.

"Sophia is.." Carl admitted. Emma smiled at the girl, who gave a small one in return but then quickly looked down at the board again. Emma didn't think anything of it. She must just be really shy.

Sophia looked over her shoulder where Ed stood, watching her with a look that Emma couldn't pinpoint, but it definitely wasn't a happy one.

She chose to ignore it, and ruffled Carl's hair before walking over to the where Lori sat on the guard rail. "What's Shane doin'?"

"Same as he was doing an hour ago.." Lori nodded towards her car. "Fiddlin' with the radio."

Emma rolled her eyes. "My dad is way too determined."

Lori gave her a funny look and Emma raised her eyebrows in question. "You called him dad."

"Never to his face, though. Not for years." Emma shrugged. "He doesn't deserve that kinda respect."

"I've never seen anybody hold a grudge for this long before.."

"I've never seen anyone go this long without feeling the least bit guilty about something so awful.." Emma countered.

Lori nodded, but remained quiet.

Emma sighed and tilted her head back. She'd always loved finding constellations or creating random connect-the-dots patterns with the stars. Every night for five years, her Aunt Charlotte and her had dragged a blanket out to the backyard and called out any of the shapes they saw. The outline of a bird in flight always seemed like the easiest thing to find - she never had to try very hard.

"Maybe it's time for a little forgiveness.." Lori suddenly said, snapping her out of the memory. "People are dying, Em. Killing. Some absolution couldn't hurt, right?"

"He's not very sorry for what he did."

"Forgiveness can go both ways.. But it doesn't always **have to**. Be the better person.. He'll respond."

Emma scoffed. "He doesn't care. He doesn't understand.."

"Humor me." Lori smiled, but her eyes betrayed her, showing her own self-conflict and the pain she was experiencing from losing Rick today. Emma grasped the other woman's hand tightly, but she didn't say anything. She wouldn't make a promise that she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep. If there was going to be any forgiving going on, Shane would have to come to her first. Until then, she'd continue to resent him and refuse to give him the satisfaction of being called Dad. She stood by the fact that he didn't deserve it.

She silently watched as other people on the highway prepared to spend the night on the road. Lanterns were put out, and tents were set up in the gaps between all the cars. She spotted Alex crawling into his trucks camper shell a little bit away and decided to join him. Giving Lori's hand a soft squeeze, she stood up and started walking. His car was parked about three places behind Shane's jeep. She passed Lori's car on the way and her gaze met Shane's through the open window. She saw same frustration and fear in his dark eyes that had been there this morning, as they ran down the halls of the hospital. Dodging bullets and avoiding snapping jaws wasn't exactly how she'd planned on starting her day, but they seemed to manage just fine.

_**Through the window in the door of an empty room, they watched soldiers gun down innocent and frightened doctors, nurses, patients and even families. She feared they would be next if they didn't get out of there soon. But they had to get Rick first.**_

_**It felt like hours before Shane finally declared that they had to move. Several minutes passed before the smoke in the hallway had cleared enough for them to know if it was safe to leave the room.**_

_**"Alrigh'.. It's clear. C'mon." He whispered, preparing to open the door. But when he didn't hear her response, or hear her moving to follow, he stopped.**_

_**The hesitation in her teary blue eyes was apparent. The fear. The confusion. But her head did the smallest of nods when she saw him waiting for her and she pushed off the wall to follow him out. She had to be strong right now.**_

_**The pair crept back through the empty halls of the near abandoned hospital. Emma's eyes scanned the bullet ridden walls. An old baseball bat gripped tightly in her hands and ready to swing. She stayed glued to Shane's side, trying her best not to throw up as the stench of death reached her nose. Mixed with the smell of gunpowder and smoke, it was even more unpleasant. **_

_**They'd stepped over more dead bodies than they could count. She suppressed a shudder when she saw splattered blood all over the walls and even bit's of flesh stuck to the **_ceiling_**.**_

_**Screams, cries and gunshots reverberated off the walls, sending chills down their spines and making them speed up their steps.**_

_**They were about to round the corner of a hallway that would take them to Rick's room when Shane's arm suddenly shot out and abruptly stopped her from going further. His hold kept her pressed against the wall as he peeked his head down the next hall. He could feel her trembling against his arm and wished he'd listened to his gut instinct and left her at home. But one glance at her face - the busted lip and cut cheekbone - also made him regret staying at work late last night and leaving her home alone to defend herself. At least Alex had been there to help her when Shane couldn't.**_

_**With his gun raised ahead of him, he grabbed her wrist when the hallway was cleared and pulled her after him. Emma was surprised at the gesture but she accepted it and didn't say anything. Even if she tried, her voice would no doubtedly betray her. **_

_**She let him drag her up to Rick's room and watched him struggle with the door before they barged in. The sight if Rick laying there broke her heart. She pressed herself back against the closed door, her feet not allowing her to move forward as Shane futilely attempted to rouse his best friend.**_

_**Without any warning, the building shook violently just as a loud explosion erupted somewhere on the other side of the hospital. The door rattled behind her and the lights flickered for a moment before the power cut completely. Her eyes shot to the machines beside the bed and her blood ran cold. **_The machines keeping him alive_**. The word "no" repeated in her head dozens of times as she inched herself closer to the bed.**_

_**As if he'd been reading her mind, the word slipped from Shane's lips like a mantra, and it didn't serve to calm her nerves in the slightest.**_

_**A soft, metallic click had them both diving to the floor, hidden behind the bed. It was one of the soldiers. Shane's hand covered her mouth and he pulled her closer to his body. The only thing she could hope for was that he didn't shoot Rick.**_

_**She tried to even out her breathing when the man stayed in the room longer than she thought. Maybe he was staying there because he could hear her heart trying to beat out of her chest, she thought bitterly, but rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. Eventually though, the man left and Shane resumed trying to wake Rick. He'd even tried to pick Rick up, and Emma could only watch with a pained expression. Even if she tried to help, they wouldn't be able to carry him. He was dead weight.**_

_**Again Shane, like he'd just read her mind, put his ear to his friend's chest and shut his eyes, listening for the beat.**_

_**She raised a shaky hand to wipe away stray tears when his jaw set, his eyes hardened and he subtly shook his head. "He's gone.."**_

_**Emma fell to her knees then. Ignoring the pain that shot up her legs from the harsh landing, she grasped Ricks hand tightly. Only at that point did she let the tears fall freely. Tears that had been building up from last night, when she'd been forced to end the life of her neighbor. The girl was only ten, but she was strong. Vicious. Determined to kill.**_

_**A shuddering breath escaped her lips as she dropped her forehead to the hard, hospital mattress. Her body wracked violently with her sobs, and the mantra returned as she tightened her hold on Rick. Shane tried to move her, but she wouldn't budge.**_

_**"Em, we gotta go. He's gone.." **_

_**"Stop saying it!" Her voice was loud, and Shane actually flinched. She seemed to realize it herself - a little too late - and slapped her own hand over her mouth.**_

_**"**_Emmalyn_**." Her head snapped up immediately when he used her full name. It was his way of telling her that there was no room for arguments. It always had been. "We need to leave."**_

_**Whether or not she wanted to, she knew he was right. They couldn't stay here.. Half the building was on fire, for God sakes. It wasn't safe anymore. No where was safe. There'd been circling reports of a refugee camp in Atlanta. Personally, she thought it was a load of bullshit. But Shane had believed it from the get go. She trusted him enough to agree that they needed to make the trip. And if they were going to get anywhere, it was important that they left today.**_

_**She took one last, hesitant look at Rick's pale face. Her heart wrenched at the thought that this very moment was the last time she'd ever see him. She'd never see that killer smile again. Never hear his calm and comforting voice, or look into those soft, blue eyes that were so easy to get lost in. **_

_**Shane helped her up onto unsteady legs and together, they reluctantly left the room. She wouldn't look back. She couldn't. Not without falling apart right then and there.**_

Just thinking of it made her chest ache, but she pushed it down.

Emma poked her head into the shell, making her presence known to him before she crawled in. "Why you sitting in here alone?" She asked and made herself comfortable above all the blankets covering the cold truck bed.

"Just answered yer own question, Mal." He mumbled before taking a swig of Bourbon that he'd swiped from his dad's cabinet right before he left. He held the bottle out to her but she made no move to take it.

"I know you're upset, but you shouldn't be drinking."

"Bonding with my ol' man." He tipped the bottle towards her. "He ain't here to drink it, now is he?"

Emma pursed her lips and shook her head. "You did what you had to."

Alex scoffed and hung his head, letting his shaggy blonde hair fall over his eyes. Out of habit, she reached forward and pushed his fringe to the side. She knew that there was nothing she could say to make him feel better, so she didn't.

They sat in silence for nearly an hour. People were still up and about outside, but that chatter was a lot quieter than it had been at noon when most people first arrived.

"Why are you here?" Alex asked suddenly. His words were slurred and she was glad that she'd taken the whiskey away from him before it got worse.

Emma frowned. "You're my best friend. I'm always gonna worry about you.."

He rolled his eyes at her words and layed down, resting his head on her lap. "I fell down the stairs. I'm not dying.." She smiled down at him, even though he couldn't see it, but again she said nothing.

Alex had always been too tough for his own good. Sliced his leg open? Stitched it himself. Dislocated his shoulder? Popped it back in on his own. She was sure he inherited that attitude from his father. Even now, she had yet to find something that he couldn't do. He'd killed his own father, and beat his own brother to the brink of death.

Only one of them actually deserved it, though she tried not to think about it too much.

A strange noise caught her attention. It sounded like a plane. She couldn't really see it from out the window, and with Alex's head in her lap, she couldn't get out of the car. She didn't want to wake him up. He'd been through enough today and seemed pretty exhausted, since he'd fallen asleep so fast.

But from where she sat, she could see that it had caught everybody's attention. Some were heading into the woods to get a closer look at the city, and some were even standing on their cars.

A loud, abrupt explosion woke him up, despite her attempts at trying not to wake him. "What's that?" He asked, sitting up and looking around with wide eyes.

Emma ignored him and crawled towards the still-open tailgate. What she saw was any hope she had that this whole thing would blow over, now being destroyed. Although it had been slight to begin with, it was completely gone, now. The government had just given up, without so much as a warning. Atlanta had no refugee center. It was overrun. And this was the military's way of solving it. Getting rid of something they couldn't control.

Alex crawled out after her, and they watched the city burn. Red flames shot up into the night sky, and the smell of sulphur reached them.

The cries soon returned. The whimpers of fear, as everybody stood still in shock. Emma heard Alex cursing beside her, and could hear a lot of people doing the same.

She knew that they needed to move. To get far away from the city. But nobody did anything. They just stood there, watching their last promise of security burn.

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	2. A Similar Struggle

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Two: "A Similar Struggle"**

**A special thanks to FanWoman21, SorrowJunky, JCLProductions88 and Countdraculoh for following the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or anything else you may recognize from the television series/comic book. I do not make any profit from this story, it is purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.**

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It had been a few days since that night on the highway. Emma hadn't even realized that while she continued to stare at the city being bombed, Shane had been the only one trying to do something; shouting orders to get people away from a disaster area.

The next morning, he'd led a fairly large group to a quarry. It was surrounded by the woods, secluded and seemed safe. Even now, people still looked to Shane for orders or directions, and being a cop, he was more than happy to give it. He'd sort of become their unofficial leader but you couldn't really find anyone complaining. His orders had kept them all alive thus far.

She hadn't spoken to the entire group yet; you can only meet **so** many people over the course three or four days. So far, she'd met Glenn. He was a little older than she was, but he was the easiest to get along with out of the whole group. He was easy going, and really funny. He reminded her a lot of her cousin Adam, and she knew that if he was alive, him and Glenn would have been good friends. Glenn was also usually the one going into the city to scavenge supplies for the group, without even getting told to. She admired his concern for everyone.

Dale was like the grandfather of the group. Not just because of his age, but because he was always watching over everybody. He seemed to keep a closer eye on Amy and Andrea, though. They were sisters, and he'd picked them up on the side of the road on his way to Atlanta. Their car had broken down, and Dale had just gotten there at the right time. Andrea was definitely the oldest, looking around mid-thirties and Amy was in her early twenties. Emma found the massive age gap strange, but she never commented on it.

Theodore, or "T-dog" as everyone referred to him as, was one of the quiet ones. He was a large man, but after speaking to him for a while, Emma realized that he was a big softie. She found out that he was also very religious. In his story of how he came to be here, he mentioned that he had taken his church van around his neighborhood and gathered some people who needed saving. He was also the one that had picked up Glenn on his way to the refugee camp. He seemed to be really close with another woman in the group, Jaquie, but he actually hadn't know her before.

Then there were the Dixons. Merle and Daryl. Emma didn't know a whole lot about them, because she hadn't spoken to them yet. They weren't around a lot, either. Usually off hunting, which for the most part kept the food source from dwindling. Merle didn't like doing it, but every now and then they would share their kill with the rest of he group. Merle was always loud, and rude. He also liked his comments and nicknames. He couldn't go more than a few minutes without saying something crude, sexist, demeaning, or racist. He seemed as if he was used getting any girl he wanted, as he leered at all the women in camp. But she doubted it. He must just be really confident.

Almost the opposite of his older brother, Daryl was quiet and mostly kept to himself. He probably hadn't said more than two words to anyone besides his brother. Daryl looked mean under his permanent scowl. The looks he gave people almost made it seem like he was planning their death. The huge buck knife attached to his belt gave the idea that it could be possible. He was definitely somebody to steer clear of, and almost everybody in camp had gotten that memo. He looked like he didn't want to be bothered, and people usually respected that.

Both of them also seemed dirtier than was necessary, even considering the situation. Over their bare arms, covering their clothes and even their faces. But though they seemed like loner survivalists, they had still followed the caravan up to the quarry nonetheless.

Everybody had more or less a general job to do. Watch schedules, cooking, laundry, gathering firewood, babysitting and hunting were the main duties that Shane had appointed to certain people. Even as a diverse group, they worked well together as a whole.

It wasn't difficult to convince people to do a job. A common goal on was everybody's mind - survival. There was no room for arguments anymore. You did what needed to be done, and you did it with a smile.

The Dixon's would be a special case though. She wasn't sure they knew how to smile.

Emma knew that it wouldn't be easy living in close range with so many people. Despite her sarcastic attitude and snappy comebacks, she was still as shy as they came. It had never been easy for her to make friends, but now she had no choice but to try. Maybe that was why she stayed around the kids all the time - because they usually did most of the talking. She wasn't comfortable in crowds, and definitely didn't enjoy being the center of attention.

That was why she got a long with Glenn so well. He was a chatterbox; didn't seem to know how to keep quiet, but he also never called her out on her quietude, which she was grateful for whenever she was with him.

Alex was the exact opposite of Glenn, but the difference was that when it was just the two of them, neither of them made an effort to talk unless it was necessary. They could be comfortable in silence. Things had been that way since they were kids. She remembered that he used to be just like Glenn, though. Outspoken and loud. Something had changed him, but she couldn't pinpoint it. She was determined to bring him out of his broody shell.

And if Amy sending googly eyes at him when he wasn't looking meant anything, it was that she was gonna have help.

Other than that, she had hope in this ragtag group of survivors. They were gonna get through this, with day to day survival made easier by a united effort.

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**Thanks.**


	3. Lost

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Three: "Lost"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or anything else you may recognize from the television series/comic book. I do not make any profit from this story, it is purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.**

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"Walker." Alex mumbled from where he sat partially behind Emma. Everyone in their little circle gave him a strange look, making him lower his head even more in order to avoid their stares.

"We already did 'W'." Glenn stated.

Since there wasn't much to do around camp once you finished your chores, the four of them sat down in the shade provided by the RV and came up with a game. They moved along with the alphabet, coming up with different names for those _**things**_.

"Passed it on my turn." Alex kept his head down while he spoke. He looked like he was trying to pull his beanie over his head when all eyes fell on him. "Jus' thought of it."

"I like it. It's the best one so far.." Emma had to give him credit. She knew that he wasn't comfortable in crowds, and even a group of four would make him curl up and try to hide. Much like he was doing now.

Alex was a big guy, standing at about 6'2, but he still easily managed to hide behind Emma, who was only 5'4.

Amy and Glenn murmured their agreement, and she could feel him relax against her. Amy's eyes did a quick flick over to Alex, and Emma thought that maybe the pretty blonde was part of the reason he was trying to remain unseen. The guy may be incredibly adorable and have a lady-killer smile, but he was still pretty crummy when it came to girls. She was lucky to have met him when they were kids. When girls were nothing special to him. Not that they really were, now...

"Deadheads?" Emma said, continuing where they'd previously left off and trying to get attention off of Alex.

"Nice." Amy lifted her hand to her chin in thought. "Eaters."

"Good one.. Gotta pass though.." Glenn sighed. They'd used 'Fuglies' on the last round, and weren't allowed to repeat.

She heard Alex mumble a soft 'pass' again, and rolled her eyes. "C'mon Amy.." She started to stand. "Let's go help Lori with the cooking.." Maybe the guys needed some "bonding" time. Alex needed to make friends without Emma being there, for once. Sure, she wasn't that much better at it, but Glenn and Amy made it easy. Alex needed to try this one on his own.

She helped Amy up and they started towards the fire pit. Emma could hear the guys continuing the game as she walked and casually glanced over her shoulder. Seeing a smile on Alex's face made her grin. _**There you go**_.

As soon as the girls stopped in front of Lori, she handed them each a bucket and nodded towards the woods. Her and Amy shared an annoyed look before they started walking. Foraging was always a boring job, and being in the creepy forest was definitely no fun.

Emma met Shane's eyes before she could step beyond the tree line. The corner of her mouth quirked into a small smile, which he returned before she looked away completely. Expression somber, like she hadn't even seen him. They'd been going on like this for the full week now at the quarry. Barely acknowledging each other. She actually hadn't even said a word to him since she yelled at him in the hospital. He'd tried to speak to her, of course, but every time he did then she'd shoot the conversation down. After Rick died, too many old feelings had resurfaced. Too much pain flooding in at once. And Shane was the only thing that reminded her of all of it. What she'd lost... not including Rick.

Emma and Amy stepped into the coolness of the woods, their eyes scanning the ground. "So...what's the deal with broody boy?"

Emma frowned, but a ghost of a smile found it's way to her lips. _**Gotcha**_. "Alex? What about him?" She asked, acting clueless. Her eyes flicked from the ground to the sky. Barely visible between the thick branches. It was obvious that neither of them was very interested in being in the woods this close to sunset.

Amy shrugged. "Just... Never seen a guy as shy as that. Or so dependent on a girl that's half his size."

Emma laughed. "Dependent? I doubt it."

"He's always around you. He barely says anything if you're not with him.. And it's like he's actually trying to hide from me when I speak to him."

"Don't take it personally. He's no good with girls."

"Seems just fine with you." Amy mumbled with a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"Well.." Emma thought for a moment, swinging the bucket at her side. "I'm a different kinda girl to him.."

"Elaborate?" Amy asked, bending down to gather from a patch of mushrooms. She'd ask someone at camp later if they were edible or not.

"I'm not the girlfriend-type." She stated, not noticing that Amy had stopped. "He's never had girlfriend. Not even a potential one. Probably just scares him a bit when you flirt..." She heard Amy chuckle at that. But she sounded distant. "I'm tryna get him to open up a bit more. Part of the reason I left him with Glenn... Alex as just been through a lot. You'd be good for him."

Emma walked a bit more. Leaves crunched loudly under her boots, causing her not to even notice that she couldn't hear a second set of footsteps. She waited a few minutes, thinking that Amy was just deciding on what to say next.

"Amy?" Emma spun around, shocked when she realized the blonde was no longer behind her. How long had she been alone?

"No big deal.." She breathed, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

All she had to do was go back the way she came, right? Nope. After spinning around in circles trying to spot Amy, she didn't have a clue which way to go anymore.

She ran a hand through her raven hair and looked around. Everything just fucking looked the same. It wouldn't be long until sundown, she noted, holding her hand out and letting the rays shining through the leaves hit it.

With one hand on her hip and the other holding the empty bucket with just her index finger, she started walking. Eventually she'd probably find something she recognized.

Emma had been lost in the woods before. When she'd gone camping with Rick, Lori and Carl. She had been only twelve at the time, and couldn't help herself as she started to wander around. On the trip to the campsite, Rick had explained the rules and such. Precautions to take if they were to get lost. The thing that stuck the most was to walk in alignment with the sun. Of course, that advice had lead her to a road instead of back to Lori and Rick, but she managed to find her way back from there. So she stuck with the fact that she'd soon find her way.

However, as the sun steeped lower in the darkening sky, her heart sped up, but her steps slowed down. She could allow herself to panic internally, but she couldn't afford that physically. The soon-to-be lack of light would be dangerous, and freaking out about it would be anything but a good idea.

After the sun had gone down, she could no longer use it's rays as a guide. She kept her gaze to the floor, now watching where she stepped more than anything. The Dixons hunted here. So this was hunting ground, and running into a trap, or even stepping in one, wouldn't be much help.

Nearly two hours later, the snapping of a twig had her biting her lip, but she didn't stop walking until bushes rustled too. She only half turned as footsteps drew closer. Emma released a shaky breath. She wanted to sigh in relief when a familiar face peered around a tree, but the man was anything but welcome... even if she was scared for her life at the moment.

"Pretty little thing like you shouldn't be out here alone.." It was a cloudy night, and the full moon did nothing against the lightless forest but she could still make out a smirk on his chubby face.

"Ed.." Emma muttered, instinctively taking a step back, although he was still a few feet away from where she stood. "I'm not alone-"

"Your friend is already at camp." He cut her off, casually leaning against a tree to his right. "Yer alone."

The knowledge that she was safe at camp quelled her concern for Amy, but not for herself. Emma gulped and swept a trembling hand over the gun holster on her hip. Of course it was conveniently empty when she actually needed it.. "Why are you out here?" She asked and mentally kicked herself when her voice wavered. Ed's eyes slowly raking over her body was enough for her to know what he wanted. She bristled when he took another step closer.

Emma resisted the urge to run, knowing that it would probably only excite him more than having her alone did. She took a step to the left, and he mirrored the movement, chuckling lightly. "Cute.." He growled, clenching his fists at his sides.

In just two long strides, he stood in front of her, pinning her to a tree with his weight. The guy was nearly a foot taller than her and outweighed her by at least 100 pounds. Ed wouldn't have to try very hard to take what he wanted. And he knew it all too well.

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**Thank you to Mad6061for adding the story to your alerts!**

**I do have the next chapter ready for posting already, and I'll be willing to update tomorrow if I can get that first review... Or maybe even a favorite or two. *hint**hint***

**I really do want to hear what you guys think about it. Your opinion on Emmalyn or even on what just happened in the chapter. Please review?**


	4. Helpless

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Four: "Helpless"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or anything else you may recognize from the television series/comic book. I do not make any profit from this story, it is purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.**

**A special thanks to blackcat711, reamane2, MsKrissy, Nicole0930, hideher and speedy964. **

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Tears welled up in her eyes, knowing that there was nothing she could do. She could fight him, sure. But he was bigger. Stronger. He seemed determined and she wasn't certain how far away from camp they were. They couldn't have been really close, which was probably what was giving him confidence; there was nobody to catch him in the act. Nobody to help her.

Emma shivered in disgust when his hands grasped her hips and continued around her body to cup her ass, roughly dragging her body closer to his. She grimaced as she felt the obvious boner pressed against her stomach. Ed's head lowered but she quickly turned her face the other way, resulting in his lips against her shoulder, where he bit firmly. She was sure he'd broken through skin but he only took delight in the whimper it elicited from her. He mistook it for a sound of pleasure. His foul smelling breath tickled her neck; a mix of cigarettes, whiskey and the combination of an entire week of meals.

"Good girl.." He said in a low voice when she didn't resist about him undoing the button of her jeans. Emma couldn't even find the strength to fight him, since she was too busy fighting back tears. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, knowing he'd just enjoy it all the more.

A sudden gust of wind and a loud twang made her cringe and it forced Ed a step back. Looking up, she saw what looked like an arrow pierced through the bark only inches above her head but at the perfect height that if it had been three inches to the right, it would have hit the skull of the monster before her.

"Leave 'er." A gruff voice said, and her eyes widened. Emma didn't recognize the voice, but the bolt.. The bolt was familiar.

Ed spun around and she took the opportunity to get away. She took off to the left, but, being her clumsy self, tripped less than three feet away and fell not so gracefully to the hard forest floor.

"Why don't ya mind yer own damn business?" came Ed's threatening response to the dark. Daryl still kept himself hidden in the shadows.

There was a minute of complete silence; even the tree's no longer rustled, and it frightened her. She thought for a moment that he had left.

"Why don' you get outta my face 'fore the next arrow ends up in yours?" Daryl cautioned, finally taking a step into both Ed's, and Emma's view.

Ed's fists unclenched before balling up again right when he flicked his gaze to her. She had started to stand, and he obviously didn't like that.

"Hey!" Daryl yelled. "You def?" He raised his bow up higher, seemingly prepared to shoot. Ed started walking, deliberately dragging his feet, but his eyes didn't leave hers until he disappeared behind some trees.

Emma watched Daryl from where she still sat in the dirt. His back was now to her, since he'd kept his crossbow trained on Ed's stalking form. She shifted on the ground and drew in a shaky breath, reminding him that she was still there. He strode over to her and tentatively held his hand out.

She considered taking it. She really did. But the sight blood made her think twice. It coated both his hands. His arms. His clothes. And there were even a few spots on his face. Daryl immediately retracted the hand when her eyes widened. "'s animal blood.." He clarified, shouldering his bow and cleaning his hands and face off with a rag from his pocket.

Emma pushed herself up and stood on wobbly legs. She picked thorns from her palms whilst he wiped the dried blood off himself. "Thank you." She murmured, dusting off her jeans and not meeting his eyes.

"Welcome." He nodded, though she couldn't see it. Emma used her shirt to dry her wet cheeks, since her hands were dirty. Daryl averted his eyes when she reached down to re-button her jeans and adjust her top. "You alrigh'?"

She nodded vigorously. It was no where near believable.

"Should head back.." He told her, already turning around. He walked over to the tree and pulled his bolt from it before he started in the direction that she'd been going earlier. Maybe if she had walked faster, she could have avoided Ed...

Emma sighed and trailed after the younger Dixon, wrapping her arms around herself. She couldn't have possibly avoided him. If Ed had known that Amy was at camp and Emma wasn't, then he'd come into the woods just to find her... Knowing he could do what he wanted.

Overly determined, she thought. _**If only I'd had my gun..**_

Daryl walked briskly, always staying a few strides ahead of her. At first she ignored it, thinking that he'd slow down if she fell behind too much, but she had to settle for nearly jogging after him when he showed no signs of stalling for her. She let out a groan in frustration as she scraped her arm on another tree due to the darkness, and before she knew it she was lying in the dirt again, her foot hooked onto a thick tree root. Emma sat back on her heels and let out a small sob while she picked tiny, sharp stones out of her palms. It was no better than the thorns. Maybe it was worse.

"Ya always this clumsy?" Daryl's husky voice startled her when he suddenly stood in front of her. She hadn't even heard him approaching and was sure he wouldn't even have stopped for her.

"Yes." She mumbled, inspecting her bloody hands and wincing. "Never exactly _**this**_ much though. Guess it's just not my lucky day, huh?"

Daryl's hands barely registered on her body until she was standing on her own too feet. His touch lingered on her longer than she thought necessary and she took a step away from him, frowning.

"Almost there." Daryl said roughly. He ignored the hesitant look in her eyes and started walking. It wasn't long before he heard her hurried footsteps. She was limping now. Her knees ached and her hands burned. She wanted to just sit down and pout so that she could rest, but she didn't wanna be left behind - and Daryl very well seemed like the type of person that would simply leave her.

They didn't walk for very long, and a small smile made it's way to her lips when Daryl mumbled a soft "Here" As he rounded a tree. But it fell as soon as she stepped around it herself.

"What's this?"

Daryl rolled his eyes, not stopping. "What's it look like?"

"I mean, what are we doing here..?" Emma inquired, eying the small cabin ahead. "I thought we were going back to camp."

"We'll crash here for tonight and head out in the morning." He told her, taking his crossbow back in his hands and climbing the few steps to the door.

"What for?" She asked but he ignored her, kicking the door open slowly with his shoe before disappearing inside.

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and looked around the small clearing. She could barely see anything, so the rustling of the leaves had her practically diving for the door. After shutting it, she quickly locked the door and leaned against it. Daryl shook his head at her. Damn girl's too paranoid, he thought, watching her eyes curiously flick over every inch of the hunting cabin.

The cabin wasn't very big, Emma noticed. Or nice, for that matter.

In the far left corner was a kitchen, which only consisted of three wooden counters and a large steel sink. Then there was a small metal table to the right, with just one timber chair pushed up against it. The centre of the cabin seemed to be the living room. Simply made up of a small two-seater sofa and an over stuffed armchair. The couch was dirty, and stained but she sat down anyways. A puff of dust rose up to meet her and she coughed.

A massive bear-skin rug sat on the floor between her and a small fireplace, and the walls were littered with various kinds of animal head trophies. Their glassy eyes seemed to follow every one of her movements.

"C'mere.." Daryl pulled out the chair at the table, but he didn't sit and just started pulling items out of a backpack. She had no idea where he'd gotten it. She stared skeptically at his back while she made her way across the cabin.

"Why are we staying here?" She repeated. Her voice was soft, and he had to strain his ears to hear her. He looked down at her where she now stood at his side with pleading eyes. She was tiny, with top of her head barely reaching his mouth. He knew he'd come at the right time.. she didn't stand a chance against that stupid oaf.

"You got any idea how far 'way from camp we are, girl?"

She shook her head.

"Gon' take 'least two hours ta get back. Ain't walkin' round in the dark."

"You afraid of the dark?" She joked. His face remained hard as he lead her to the sink.

Daryl pulled her tender hands over the basin before emptying half a bottle of water onto them. The liquid was warm, but it effectively soothed the scrapes. However, that changed immediately when he sat down in the chair and pulled out a pair of tweezers. The placing of a flashlight between his teeth made her frown. Surely she could have held it for him, but she didn't argue. He pointed the light at her palms and squinted his eyes, focusing.

There was a surprisingly gentle touch to the hunter's rough, calloused hands but that didn't make it any less painful as he picked dirt out from between the cuts.

Emma sat herself on the table, the cold from the metal seeping through her jeans and making her shiver. Daryl glanced up at her under his lashes for only a second before drawing his attention back to her hand. He thankfully made quick work of cleaning out the wounds and it wasn't long before her hands were carefully wrapped in bandages. Emma noticed him looking pointedly at her legs, and glanced down. The knees of her jeans were terribly ripped and spotted with blood. She jumped down from the table as fast as she could. "Those are fine.. Uhh..thanks." She mumbled, going back over to the couch, only to be surrounded by another cloud of dust.

Her jeans were almost skin tight, so they couldn't just be rolled up and she sure as hell wasn't gonna drop them over a few scrapes for a guy she didn't even know.

Daryl came over and plopped down in the armchair to her right. He didn't miss the way she flinched, before moving to the far end of the sofa, trying to make it look natural.

"I ain't Ed." He said firmly, and tossed the near-empty bottle of water beside her.

"No shit."

Daryl flicked the flashlight off. "Alrigh'. Then stop lookin' at me like I'mma violate ya in yer sleep 'nd get some rest, will ya?"

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	5. Criminal

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Five: "Criminal"**

**Thank you Kyokkou, Sheepthief, LiLou-Wolf-Fox, samantalu, linzee91 & orlisgirl04 for following; Always-Be-Batman & Kyokkou for favouriting . I really appreciated your review JCLPproductions88 and Kyokko. Stoked that you're enjoying it! ;;)**

**Just a short one for now, but a longer one will be up soon. Promise!**

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"We're not going anywhere, are we?" She asked, flinching when she saw another flash of lightning followed by a deafening crack of thunder.

"Later.. Maybe it stops." Daryl raised his voice to be heard over the heavy flow of rain. He heard her sigh, but she said nothing. He didn't question her new position, either - beside the door and under the low window.

He'd woken up sometime during the night to her whimpering and mumbling things he couldn't understand. After he shook her awake, she'd paced around the cabin for nearly an hour, trembling and saying things to herself that he couldn't hear - obviously trying to rid herself of the thoughts from the nightmare. She calmed down, of course, but instead of coming back to the sofa she seemed to be trying to get as much distance between them as she possibly could. It had started drizzling not long after that, coaxing him back into a dreamless sleep. He didn't think it would carry on through the night, but even now it still went on - only heavier.

Daryl peered at her from under his lashes. She was doing it again; talking to herself. He frowned, wanting to question her on it but thought better and kept his mouth shut instead.

She settled further back into the corner and wrapped her arms around herself. A cold breeze blew under the door, chilling the entire cabin. It seemed worse for her, since the wind hit her feet directly. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to go back to the sofa. He'd saved her from Ed. But she didn't trust him.. He was practically a stranger.

Emma hadn't really noticed him before now. He was rarely even at camp, and on the few occasions that he was, he'd be out in front of his tent skinning and gutting animals. Dirty, bloody and sweaty Daryl didn't exactly scream "Come over here and talk to me!"... Not that she'd ever have a reason to do so even if he'd dragged her over there himself. The man was definitely not a people person. His gaze was calculating and the huge knife at his hip scared most people away. Anybody besides his brother coming close enough to talk to him would either be ignored or get the death stare that reminded her of the serial killers on crime channels. Not a lot of people bothered with him, besides Merle and even then, the talking seemed to be kept to a minimum.

Last night had been the first time she'd heard his voice, she realized. He had a pronounced raspy southern drawl and no matter how softly he spoke, it was enough to get anybody's attention.

He didn't seem like somebody that was easy to be friends with - if he's ever had friends - but physically, he was definitely not a disappointment... In fact, she'd give him two thumbs up for appearance _any_ day.

He looked handsome under the ten layers of dirt stuck to his skin. He had dirty-blonde hair, and for a moment she'd believed that it was actually dirt that gave it the dusty colour. The growing fringe fell over his eyes whenever he looked down. For some reason, she was sure he preferred it that way.

Last night while he'd been removing the dirt from the slices in her hands, it had taken everything in her not to reach out and push the hair away from his clear blue eyes - A habit that Alex had gotten her into, over the years.

The fine layer of scruff on his face only added to the draw; she'd always thought facial hair was attractive on a man and being in the midst of the end of the world sure as hell couldn't change that.

The perfect broadness of his shoulders and the endearing flexing of his sleevless arms seemed almost criminal, and she was tempted for a moment to whip out Shane's handcuffs when they got to camp. She bit her lip at the picture suddenly popping into her head. _**Stop it you idiot. He could be dangerous. **_She whispered to herself, keeping her voice low.

Emma quickly averted her gaze when he glanced in her direction.

**Busted**, her mind screamed at her. She stared indifferently out the window as he stood from the armchair and started walking around the cabin. She pinched her leg each time she felt the urge to look his way. _**Get a grip, girl.**_


	6. Vigilance

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Six: "Vigilance"**

**Special thanks to bmemzie, Tasha(guest), theladyofdurin, stjarna21, LiliAnn Jackson, Comingsummers & Kyokkou! C:**

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They didn't need to wait too long for the rain to die down - roughly five hours. She'd slept for two of those, so it felt even shorter. It was just past noon and still drizzling lightly by the time they left the cabin. Dark, heavy clouds still hung above their heads, but Daryl insisted the rain would stop, and it would pass soon enough.

Despite the fact that she was eager to get back to Alex and Shane, knowing that Ed was at camp made her rethink her rush and although Daryl seemed determined to get there fast, she defiantly took her time, walking twice as slow as usual.

Her boots sunk into the soft mud, making the delay much less obvious, and she deliberately stopped for a few seconds to step into low puddles of water that hadn't sunken into the earth yet. Daryl would spin around and glare at her every few splashes. It was probably getting on his nerves but he didn't say anything until nearly an hour had passed.

"Thought ya'd be more eager than this ta get back." He said gruffly, not turning around. It wasn't a question, so she didn't feel the need to reply.

She ran a hand through her hair, now soaking wet. She kept her eyes on his back, not wanting to end up wandering off like what happened with Amy. Maybe if she had a longer attention-span, she could have avoided all of this. She cringed when Ed's leering face popped into her mind, and tried to ignore the bubbling anger.

Emma wanted to tell herself that she'd do something about it; get back at him. But she wouldn't. She'd never been able to bring herself to severely harm another person (no matter how much she wanted to), and that wouldn't change now. The only difference was that now the only people she'd be hurting or killing, would be the living-dead. She'd done it once, but she crossed her fingers, hoping the opportunity wouldn't arise again.

Pushing the memory out of her head, she jogged to catch up with him, realizing that she'd fallen behind quite a bit. Emma bit her lip as her gaze washed over him, once again. She just couldn't help it.

If it were even possible, his shoulders actually seemed broader from the back. Walking behind him last night had left much to her imagination in the dark, but now she felt like she could see his muscles moving and tensing beneath the thread-bare shirt. The hint of a tattoo peeked out from the back of the shirt, where he'd no doubtedly ripped the sleeves off himself. Standing directly behind him, she was able to fully admire every ripple and curve of his biceps. The rain made his arms glisten deliciously, despite the dirt. She eyed his lean waist, that remained that way regardless of the slight beer-gut. Her gaze dipped lower, lower...

Daryl suddenly stopped and spun around. "Would ya quit foolin' 'round?" He almost yelled when she splashed in another puddle - this time by accident. She quickly drew her eyes back up to his face. He didn't seem to notice her checking him out, and if he did, he didn't comment on it.

"Yessir.." Emma mumbled, giving him a mock-salute, to which he scoffed and went back to walking. She let out a small relieved sigh, hoping that her cheeks weren't has red as they felt. She jogged again, wanting to walk beside him for once. She knew that if she stayed behind him, she'd just continue undressing him with her eyes. Which wasn't all that bad... But she kinda felt like a perv, since he sure as hell wasn't looking at her in that way.

Daryl seemed to be walking faster the second she showed up next to him, and she ended up stumbling over her own feet in an attempt to keep up. Daryl's hand shot out, grasping her upper arm tightly to steady her.

"Good Lord, you're worse than a drunk walkin' the line." He spat, shaking her arm roughly.

Emma's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"

"And there ain't even no fuckin' line." He'd already started walking.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her shoulder against a tree. Being raised mostly by Shane, and having crappy boyfriends had made her used to being spoken to like she was almost nothing but she wouldn't be taking that from a near-stranger.

Daryl continued walking, obviously not knowing she'd stopped. Suddenly, she wasn't all that worried about being left.. He was heavier than her, which meant he was leaving deeper footprints. Easy for her to follow.

Alex was the tracker between them, and while she didn't care much for that or hunting, she'd picked up on a few things.

Emma pursed her lips when she saw him stalking back towards her. "The hell are ya doin'?" He growled, stopping just a few feet in front of her.

"Uhh.. Nothing. Just chilling here a bit. Wanna join?"

"Yer jokin' right?"

She bit her lip as if in deep thought. "Nope. Don't remember saying anything funny.."

Daryl squinted his eyes at her, took a step forward and locked his arms around her thighs. He tossed her over his shoulder before she even realized it was happening.

"Are you kidding me?" She didn't even struggle against him. He was much stronger than her.

"I don' remember sayin' anythin' funny." He repeated her previous statement, making her roll her eyes. Emma let herself fall slack against his shoulder, trying to seem heavier than she really was, but his footsteps never faltered.

"Carried two deer lighter than you combined." He said matter-of-factly.

"Is this something you have to work at, or are you just naturally annoying?" Her weight pushed her down almost painfully against his shoulder, making her sound out of breath. Daryl said nothing, nor did he put her down. She fisted her hands in the back of his shirt, trying to put less pressure on her abdomen.

Hanging like a dead body and bouncing helplessly whenever Daryl took a fairly large step soon became too much though, and since it didn't seem like he'd be putting her down unless she brought it up first, she lightly tapped the small of his back. "Big guy, you can put me down now."

Although she'd asked him for it, she didn't expect it to happen immediately, so when her feet hit the ground she ended up elbowing the back of his head. Hard.

"Sorry!" She gasped, hand cupping the spot she'd hit.

"Don' fuckin' touch me." He flinched away from her hand and brushed passed her.

"And yet, you grab me anytime you want and throw me over your shoulder like I'm a lighter version of a deer?" She grumbled walking after him. "Fair enough... Can we take a break?"

Daryl gave a curt nod and leaned against a tree while she sat down on a small log. She sighed, wishing she still had some of that water he gave her last night. He waited a few minutes, then pushed off the tree. "Imma take a piss."

She couldn't help but laugh at his bluntness, and watched him disappear behind some trees.

Emma sure as hell needed to go to the bathroom too, but there was no way she was gonna be doing her business in a fucking bush. It was times like this when any girl could wish she was a dude... being able to pee anywhere without getting urine _**everywhere**_.

She sat forward and began flicking dried mud off her boots, only noticing then how worn out they were. She'd need to find a way to get a new pair soon. Maybe Glenn could pick something up the next time he went scavenging.

Looking back up, she couldn't tell if it was either raining, or the wet leaves were still dripping, but she relished in the drops cooling her back from the sun's heat.

It wasn't long until Emma heard the crunching of leaves coming up behind her, signaling Daryl had returned. "That was fast.." She mumbled. She heard him groan and shuffle- wait.. Groan?

She immediately shot to her feet and spun around. She wanted to call out to Daryl, but the second she met cold, dead eyes with her own, her words caught in her throat.

The body of what used to be a young woman rounded the log, whereas Emma had hoped it would trip so she could get away. The 'walker' only had one arm, and there was a large, distinct bite mark on the remaining one. Her clothes clung to her body, sticking to her from the rain and also what looked like blood. She reached her lone arm out for Emma, swinging it wildly and swiping at the air between them.

Emma kept moving backwards until her back hit a tree. It was too late to run. As soon as the walker was close enough, Emma planted her foot in the center of its chest. Years of ballet had helped in the flexibility and strength department, but as the dead woman still managed to come closer and Emma's thigh ended up pressed against her own chest, she knew it wasn't enough. She didn't have a weapon, and now she was trapped.

A cold, bony hand fisted itself into her hair before she could stop it, and she clasped her hand around the thin wrist and tried to pry it away but nothing was working.

Tears stung at her eyes as it felt like her hair was slowly being ripped out of her skull, and her leg seemed just about to collapse under the effort it took to keep the walker away from her jugular.

It's half eaten face was just inches away from hers, eagerly snapping it's jaw and trying to latch onto anything that it could.

She almost gave up, but then she thought of her dad; how much it would hurt him if she never came back. She thought of Alex, Carl, and Lori, wondering how they'd take losing another person. She thought of Amy. Dale. Glenn. But the face that gave her the most strength was one she didn't expect - her mom. She'd never even met the woman, so she had no idea why the thought of her propelled Emma to fight even harder. But she was glad it did.

With all the remaining strength she had, adrenaline she had no idea where it had come from, her pent up anger for Ed, and lastly, her growing resentment for Shane, she kicked out as hard as she could.

The walker flew back and fell to the ground, impailing itself on a stake behind it, but ripping out a chunk of her hair in the process. She cried out, falling to her knees and clutching the back of her head near the nape of her neck. She could feel the blood coating her fingers, but it thankfully wasn't all the much. It stung like a bitch and she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.

The woman still reached out for her, trying its best to get her but it was stuck and Emma wasn't in anymore danger for now. She fell back on her ass and locked her head between her bent knees, feeling the sudden urge to throw up and trying desperately not to.

"Damn.. Didn't think ya had it in ya.." Daryl drawled before finally putting an end to the walker with a bolt. Emma's head snapped up and she was on her feet faster than he expected.

"Where were you?!" She demanded.

"Not far.." He admitted, shouldering his crossbow.

Her eyes widened. "_You were watching!_" She immediately rushed him, arms reaching out and weakly punching his chest while tears still continued to flow freely. "You were watching and you didn't think to help me, you bastard!"

"Yer fine." He grabbed her forearms and locked them against his body. "Didn't look like ya needed help."

"Didn't look-" she cut herself off, not believing what she was actually hearing. "Oh my god, is your skull that thick?! I could have died!"

"Handled yerself just fine by the looks of it." He growled, releasing her struggling arms. She pushed at his chest and started walking, shaking her head.

"Wrong way.." He corrected, noticing she was heading back in the direction of the cabin.

"What?" She snapped, spinning around and glaring at him.

"Camp's the other way.." Daryl jerked his thumb over his shoulder. She blew out her breath through her nose and waited for him to turn around before she started walking. He could almost feel her gaze burning holes in the back of his head.

He knew he was in the wrong, and that he should apologize but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He knew she could've gotten hurt in the struggle with the walker. She did. But it wasn't serious, so she should be okay. Yet, she continued to drag her feet and sniffle every few minutes behind him.

Daryl turned around to find her still poking at the back of her head, and still coming back with blood on her fingers each time. "C'mere.." He said gently, reaching for her.

"Don't touch me." Emma side-stepped him but one of his arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her back against his chest. She tried to ignore the strange tingle it sent through her, but she couldn't stop the goosebumps that broke out all over her body when his fingers brushed against her neck as he looked for the wound.

"Ain't too bad.." He prodded the area around where the small patch of hair was missing and she tried to pull away, so he let her. He knew she was still upset. "Ain't bleedin' so much, jus' don' touch it."

Emma nodded bitterly and started walking, vigorously rubbing her arms to get the goosebumps away before he had a chance to notice. Daryl raised his eyebrow at the action but didn't say anything and walked after her, trying to shake the feeling having her in his arms gave him, and questioning why he liked it.

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"Hey.." Emma tapped his shoulder once they could see the RV through the trees. "Don't tell anybody what happened."

"With Ed or the walker..?"

"Both. They shouldn't know."

"Yer dad could put that guy out on his ass." Daryl argued, referring to Ed and stepping closer to her which in turn made her step back.

"He has a wife, and a kid... I don't wanna be responsible for putting them back on the road." She admitted, staring at the ground.

She looked up when he didn't reply, and he saw the anger from before, returning to darken her blue eyes. "Just don't tell them, Daryl."

"Don't tell us what?" Their heads snapped up as four men stepped out from behind a tree, guns in hand. Daryl instinctively pushed her behind him, before he realized it was Shane speaking.

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**Pppllleeaaasseee review?**

**Next chapter will be up sometime next week. Haven't even started it but I already know I'm gonna struggle writing it, so wish me luck?**


	7. This is New

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Seven: "This is New"**

**Special thanks to - ArchangelInTheTardis, mikace, KittyInBoyShorts & pandahlocks !**

**Alrighty, so this is the first and last time I'm going to warn you guys about upcoming sexual content via A/N. The summary should have been enough of a warning that this kinda stuff was gonna happen! It's M for a reason! c;**

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"Now that we're alone.. What really happened? Just between us.." Lori inquired, wrapping a towel around Emma's thin shoulders.

Nearly immediately after Shane notified the camp that Emma was back, and called off the supposed 'rescue party', Lori had noticed all the grime covering her, and dragged her to the quarry to clean up. Emma scrubbed her body 'til it went red, and washed her hair as much as she could without crying from the pain. She couldn't show anybody she was hurt. Otherwise they'd ask questions. Much like Lori would do whether she noticed it or not.

Emma sighed heavily. "I told you what happened.."

"No. I heard what you told your father. Not the truth."

Emma shut her mouth and refused to meet Lori's gaze while she got dressed. She felt bad for lying to her, and yet she could lie to Shane without thinking twice.

Lori was a better mother to her than her actual mother - Mandy. The one that never showed up. Never came back. And there was no doubt in her mind that Lori saw her as the daughter she never had.

"I've seen you after being lost in the woods." Lori continued, gathering Emma's dirty clothes in her arms. They'd do laundry in a few days. "You weren't this shaken up. Something happened and I know you're hiding it. Why?"

"I'm protecting somebody." It wasn't giving too much away, but it still answered a question.

"You've always done that." Lori sighed, playing with the chain around her neck. "Protected somebody.. But when is that somebody gonna be you?"

"When someone decides to finally return the favor." Emma mumbled and brushed passed Lori, combing through her still-damp towel dried hair. A hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.

"Em.. Did.. Did he do something to you?"

"Who?" Emma panicked and spun around, oddly feeling like she'd been caught... but there was no way anybody could know.

"Daryl, of course." Lori almost whispered. She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Emma hesitated, before she shook her head. "Why would you think that?"

"The bruise on your neck. It wasn't there when you left."

Emma's hand quickly flew to her neck, almost like she was trying to hide it. She'd completely forgotten about it. So it was just a bruise? At least Ed hadn't bitten that hard then. "I don't know where that came from.."

"Then how did you know what side it was on?"

"Because I felt it." Emma threw her hands up, getting frustrated with all the questions. "I didn't do anything wrong, why am I being interrogated?"

"Trust me when I say I'm doing it for your own good." Lori placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before she started heading back to camp. Emma frowned and trailed silently behind Lori, using her hair to hide the bruise from more prying eyes.

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"I'm not gonna ask again." Shane's hands went to their usual spot, low on his hips.

Emma just rolled her eyes. She knew Lori had told him that she wasn't telling the whole truth, no matter how much she begged her not to.

"Emma.."

"What?!" She drew it out. Loud but slow, clearly annoyed.

Shane squatted down in front of where she sat, clasping his hands together in front of him, but he didn't say anything. He said he wouldn't ask again, now he expected her just to come out with it.

"I told you what happened."

"Not all of it." Shane argued.

Emma's jaw set and she averted her gaze. "Give it up." She crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not getting anything outta me."

He stood up and glared at her. "We'll see." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him again. She was used to Shane's questions by now; she'd been through nearly eight years of it. She knew how to keep her secrets. "You're not going anywhere 'til you tell me." He pulled a chair from around the fire pit and settled down in front of her.

Emma leaned forward and grabbed one of his hands, holding it tight. "Shane.." She didn't miss the way his eyes narrowed slightly, and she tried to ignore the little voice inside her head that was trying to push the D word out of her mouth. "I wouldn't keep it from you if it was important.. I'd tell you without hesitating.. You know that. But you don't needa know this. I'm fine. Okay? Nothin' more, nothin' less."

"If it's not important then why can't ya tell me?"

She stared at him. "That's all you caught from that?"

Shane nodded. "Get comfortable." He said, pulling his hand away from her. His smirked. The one he gave when he was getting his way. But he wasn't. She wouldn't talk.

Emma just smiled bitterly at him. She crossed her legs and sank further into the camping chair, remaining tight lipped. She glanced around camp, unintentionally seeking out Daryl, still wondering why Lori would automatically assume he'd done something to her. She found him in front of his tent as usual, but it was the first time he wasn't skinning any kill. As if sensing her looking at him, he lifted his head and locked eyes with her. She gave him a small smile and he nodded curtly before he stood up and disappeared inside the tent he shared with Merle.

She didn't realize it, but Shane had caught the exchange. He frowned when she looked back at him. "Fine. Just go." He said, catching her off guard. Her jaw actually dropped at that. He'd never just let her go, before. Usually they sat for hours until he finally caved. She wasn't exactly what anyone would've called 'behaved' as a child. She got used to the interrogation routines.

Shane stood up and stormed off towards the fire pit where she could see Carl sitting Lori. Emma frowned, but shrugged and decided to go to her tent to get some shut eye before dinner. She'd literally only slept for four hours in two days and she knew that it would get to her eventually.

In her perpetual vision, she could see Alex heading towards her but she held up her hand, stopping him from coming closer. She couldn't handle anymore questions today. First Shane, then Dale, Glenn, Lori. Shane again. But Alex could fucking wait. He was the most inquisitive person she'd ever met, and it surprised her when he wasn't the first to question her.

Emma felt the hairs stand up on the back of her neck when she looked up to see Ed standing not too far away from her tent. But she kept walking. She wouldn't show him fear; she'd keep it all bundled up inside.

She actually tried to stay awake, afraid that Ed would actually have the balls to do something to her at camp, but her attempts were futile. Not even ten minutes after crawling into her cot, did she eventually doze off.

_Emma eyed the framed family photo's and awards on the floor, leaning against the white-washed walls, ready to be hung up on nails. Her bare feet padded lightly against the creaky hardwood floor as she made her way down the hall. She bit her lip nervously while she walked through the living room, the dining room, and finally the kitchen. Empty boxes and random items were scattered across the floors and counters, making it look like the day her and Shane had moved into the new house._

_She was home._

_A chilling breeze flew in through the open window, making her wrap her arms around herself as she dazily wandered around, wondering why she was back here. And why she was alone. She stared out the window, getting a glimpse of Shane's jeep passed the flapping curtain. All the car doors were wide open, and she could faintly hear the engine running, but he was no where to be found._

_Weird._

_"Daddy?" She called out, not sure what made her resist calling him Shane. Her voice echoed throughout the near-empty house, sending an odd chill down her spine, but not from the cold._

_"Daddy, huh? Well that ain't really my thing but if that's what gets yer juices flowin', I'm all for it."_

_Emma spun around, not expecting to see Daryl standing there, smirking at her. He leaned his bare shoulder against the arch leading to the dining room. "What're you doing here?" She asked._

_"Lookin' for my shirt. Gonna be needin' that back, by the way." He pointed at her, pushing away from the wall. She looked down, for the first time noticing that she was in fact wearing one of his work shirts. And nothing else. _

_"Sorry..." She mumbled, her cheeks quickly turning a light shade of red and spreading to her chest as she tried to pull the shirt further down. They barely reached mid-thigh. She felt so exposed, but in a way, she oddly didn't mind._

_"Well..?" Daryl held out his hand, slowly walking towards her._

_She stared at him. "You're joking."_

_"Not that it don't look better on you, but.." He stopped in front of her. She gasped when his hands slipped under the back of her shirt, tightly gripping her bare ass, pulling her flush against him. Her hands flew to his chest, but she couldn't bring herself to push him away. "I gotta get goin' soon." His breath was hot against her face._

_Daryl removed his hands from beneath the shirt and ran them along her body before he started fiddling with the buttons. Her breath hitched as his rough finger tips brushed against her skin, and his smirk grew. He walked her backwards until she was pinned against the side of a counter._

_He was nearly halfway through the buttons when her hands covered his, stopping him. He could feel her hands trembling. "C'mon, don't start." He pushed his knee between her quivering legs, but Emma resisted the urge to rub herself against his hard thigh. She opened her mouth to say something. "Shut up.." He cut her off before she even got one word out, and he smiled to take the harshness out of his tone. He took advantage of her parted lips and crashed his mouth down to hers, tongue delving inside and sliding along her own._

_Emma weakly pushed against his chest, though she wasn't exactly sure she wanted him to stop. The second she responded with her own pressure, Daryl roughly grabbed her hips and effortlessly lifted her onto the counter behind her. She bit his lip when she felt the cold surface against her heated skin. The action simply made him kiss her harder. _

_Daryl made a quick work of the rest of the buttons before pushing the shirt down her shoulders. He pushed her legs apart and settled his hips in the newly created space. He was already hard an eagerly pressing against her uncovered center._

_"Gotta make this fast, girl." Daryl said breathlessly against her swollen lips, already hurrying to undo his belt. Emma just nodded absentmindedly; actions suddenly taken over by lust as she grabbed the base of his neck, bringing his lips back to hers. The kisses were fervent and desperate. The lack of air was making her light-headed but she couldn't get enough of him._

_He dragged her so close to the edge of the counter that she was sure she'd have fallen off if he wasn't holding her so tightly. Daryl pulled his mouth off hers once again, and hung his head, wanting to watch as he slowly entered her._

_Her nails bit into his shoulders and she wrapped her legs firmly around his waist, trying to get him to go faster, deeper. But he stubbornly took his time. Only letting inch by inch of his cock inside her before pulling out almost completely again. _

_"Thought you said fast.." Emma whimpered between moans when he finally thrust all the way inside, but still kept up the agonizingly slow pace._

_"Changed my mind." He grunted. "Open yer eyes." Daryl demanded gently, cupping the back of her neck._

"Open your eyes."

She woke with a start, panting heavily. Alex sat beside the cot, hand still on her shoulder. "What?" She rubbed her eyes as she forced herself to sit up.

"Dinner. Shane told me to come get ya.."

Emma nodded and forced herself to stand up even though her legs were still trembling. She hoped he didn't notice they were clamped tightly together just moments before.

"You look kinda freaked out." Alex observed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Weird dream." She clarified. "Really weird."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing and just shook her head.

"Alright then."

"Be out in a bit, okay?"

Alex nodded and left the tent, still leaving the flap open for when she came out.

Emma felt her underwear soaked at the crotch. She actually felt a twinge of embarrassment. Not because she'd just had a dirty dream about Daryl, but because she was actually disappointed she'd been woken up.

She ran a hand through her hair, fixed her disheveled clothes and waited for her breathing to return to normal before she left the tent. Alex had been waiting outside for her.

As soon as they were close enough to the campfire, they could hear Shane announcing something about a group heading out scavenging tomorrow.

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	8. Ghost

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Eight: "Ghost"**

**Special thanks to:: Prettyprincess45, KatiPillar, valix33, Myriade, Sanura Bey, 101Dancey, Tasha(Guest), BexMoore, EastDenise and wolfgirl112995! c:**

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"You can't stop me from going." She said simply, holstering her gun.

"I'm your father, of course I can." Shane argued, grabbing her arm when she tried to pass him. A nasty comment sat itself on the tip of her tongue. But she wouldn't say it. She wasn't _that_ horrible. "You just got back."

"I just wanna be productive." She lied. "I'm an accurate shot. You made sure of that."

"You're not always gonna be using a gun, Em."

"So, I'm taking your bat too.." She held it up for him to see. "I can protect myself.. as well as the group."

Shane frowned, gnawing at the corner of his lip. "Thing is.. I know that if somethin' had to happen out there, you'd put 'em all first."

Emma sighed. "That's far from a bad thing. It's just gonna be a few hours.. Let me help them."

Shane shook his head. "I don't like it.."

"Then tell me not to go." She said, catching him off guard. "If you can tell me that you honestly believe I won't survive going. If you really think I'm that useless as a member of the group, then tell me not to go." She stared at him expectantly, lightly tapping the end of the baseball bat against her boot as she waited. Shane sighed and she gave him a small smile. That went better than she expected. "I'll be careful." She placed a chaste kiss on his scruffy cheek before heading over to Glenn.

"I'm in." She told him, straightening the cap on his head.

"You sure this is a good idea?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't you start, too." Glenn nodded, smiling slightly. Now she was just glad that Alex was still sleeping. She didn't want to have to convince him aswell, since he was actually even more stubborn than Shane was. More protective, too.

She jumped when she felt something heavy land on her shoulder. "Small fry comin' too?" She didn't recognize the voice, but looked up to see Merle Dixon standing beside her, grinning widely to hide the leering undertone. It wasn't working.

"Yes she is." Glenn mumbled before he grabbed her hand, dragging her to the truck they'd be taking, and away from Merle. She didn't question it, or resist. Everybody knew how the eldest Dixon acted towards the women at camp. Even more so to the younger ones.

"Why is he coming?" Emma asked, looking over her shoulder to find Merle still watching her closely.

Glenn shrugged, only letting go of her hand once they got to the vehicle. "He volunteered. Nobody's willing to tell him no.."

She nodded. It was easy to see that Glenn wasn't thrilled that Merle would be tagging along. Or that anybody would be going with him, for that matter. He'd told her numerous times how fast he could get in and out of the city on his own. He preferred to be alone.

Emma shoved her hands into her pockets. "Sorry my dad is making you bring other people.."

"Not your fault yer dad's an ass." Glenn's smile was infectious. "Just wanna get it over with.." They leaned against the truck, waiting as everybody said goodbye to their families and friends, before they all piled into the truck.

T-dog sat up front with Glenn. Andrea, Jacqui and Emma were in the back seat while Merle and Morales sat out on the truck bed.

For most of the ride there, they either sat in silence, or everybody was forced to listen to Merle throwing lame pick-up-lines at Andrea through the small window behind her, and calling her vulgar nicknames. It was entertaining for a while, but eventually everyone was tempted to drop him off on the side of the road and come back for him later. Emma still didn't understand why he even volunteered to go. The selfish asshole never did anything for the camp. Ever.

Glenn stopped the car on the side of the road, pretty far away from the actual city. "We'll walk from here." He told them before jumping out.

Emma had been calm about the whole thing, right up until she stepped out of the truck. Then, a fairly large part of her wished her dad thought she was useless so she wouldn't have to be here. She supposed that maybe she could have thought of a different way to avoid Daryl, but this was literally the first thing that came up after the dream. She felt like if she ran into him, he'd just know. Like he'd be able to watch the dream just by looking at her face... Creepy much?

She shook her head, as if it would get the thoughts out of her head. She'd barely slept the previous night. Naked Daryl refused to let her rest and the dream didn't seem to wanna clear out. Not that she minded the images all that much.. But today, she needed to focus on more important things. Such as doing her part to protect the group.

Emma stayed away from the front of the group. She didn't know enough about the city to help lead everybody; Glenn and Jacqui took that part. She rather stayed towards the center, but not so she was surrounded as if she deserved all the protection. Most of the defense came from the rear, so it was only logic that they put the bigger guys there - T-dog and Merle. Being at the back took guts that she didn't have. She didn't feel like she'd be able to do much protecting if a herd hit them from behind. She wasn't lying when she said she was a good shot. Her aim was almost perfect. She was generally a brave person, but not at this very moment. Sure, she'd do anything she could to defend the group, even if she died in the process. She was stupid like that. Reliable, but stupid.

The second they stepped beyond the fence Glenn held up for them, was the moment all their guards went up. Glenn led them down the seemingly abandoned street, but he'd told them not to let the quiet fool them - geeks came out at even the slightest noise. There were of course a few stragglers wandering around, but the group didn't even bother trying to kill them. It would just cause a racket with all their blunt weapons. Instead they opted to hide from them. The system took time, but it was the only way.

She'd even had to hide in a mustang at one point - though the experience would have been much better, had it not been for the corpse laying on the back seat with her. The dried blood around a wound in it's head actually gave her comfort, even though it was disgusting. When all this started, it hadn't taken her long to figure out that a shot to the head was the easiest way to kill them, if not the only way.

Glenn said they were trying for a department store, but that didn't mean they weren't going into a few other stores on the way. All of them were nearly cleared out - either from other looters, or by Glenn on previous runs. But they double checked everything regardless of his protests of "I did this one last week!". There were more of them now, so they assumed the Asian man could have left a few things behind that he couldn't carry by himself. After all, that was the reason Shane had said a larger group should be sent out. More hands, more supplies.

Eventually they got to the department store. There were no walkers - or people - in the immediate room, and the place looked relatively untouched. While the rest of the group set out to clear the building, Emma was instructed to seal them in. She locked the emergency exit in the back room, but only closed the double glass doors up front slightly. If this place wasn't as clear as Glenn said it was, they would need a fast way out.

She wandered around the store, already shoving items into a bag and at the same time keeping an eye on the door to the connecting stairwell - where the group had disappeared. If there was a chance they couldn't stay here long enough to get everything, she wanted them to at least get _something_ out of the trip. She kept her bat grasped tightly in one hand, just in case.

It was nearly forty-five minutes later that she heard the crackling of the walkie that Glenn had attached to her belt, before Andrea's voice came through. "Clear. Head to the roof. Over."

Emma gave the affirmative reply before she sealed the doors completely and started upstairs. She took the stairs two at a time, quite frankly being sick of being alone. As soon as she pushed passed the heavy door that lead to the roof, she could hear a commotion going on. Everybody was leaning over the wall, watching something down in the street.

Before she could ask anyone what was going on, several gunshots rang out, making her cringe. She rushed to where the group was gathered and saw what looked like hundreds of walkers littering the streets. They were lazily split into two groups, with one of them having walkers fighting to crawl over a tank. "So what'd I miss?" Her voice was a low whisper, but enough for the group to hear over over the growling below.

Everybody's heads snapped to her, causing her to jump back a step and hold her hands up defensively. "I didn't do it.." She murmured.

"We know that." T-dog grinned at her. "Was some guy down there on a horse.." He said, pointing down at the mess of the dead.

Emma nodded slowly, before something actually clicked. "Wait.. Somebody alive?" So there were others.

Glenn nodded, whilst fiddling with a walkie. "He crawled into the tank.."

"What're you doing?"

"Helping." Glenn mumbled before bringing the device to his lips. Everybody waited patiently while he spoke, "Hey you.. in the tank. Cozy in there?"

Emma stared down at the tank, nervously picking at the dirt under her nails while she listened to Glenn have a conversation with the man, and coming up with a plan to get him out of there, and safe up here. Glenn had already started heading to the ground floor as soon as the man agreed to meet him in an alley. The rest of the group -besides her and Merle- followed him down. Emma watched as the man climbed out of the hatch above the tank, using his gun to take out the walkers closest to him before he followed the instructions Glenn had given him, and made a run for the alley. As soon as she couldn't see him anymore, she knew he was probably with Glenn already. She left Merle alone and started for the stairs.

Emma was about halfway down the last flight when she could hear yelling. She pushed passed the door to find everybody surrounding Andrea, who had the new guy pinned against a counter. She couldn't see his face; Andrea's gun was in the way.

"Son of a bitch, I outta kill you!" Andrea yelled, tightening her hold on his shirt.

"Andrea, back off." Morales said, pulling the mask off his head.

Jacqui risked a step closer to the blonde. "Ease up."

Andrea frowned, not taking her eyes off her target. "Ease up? You're kidding right? We're all dead because of the stupid asshole.."

"Put the gun down." Morales tried again. "Or pull the trigger..."

Andrea finally dropped her gun and took a step to the side, shaking her head. Emma's eyes widened when she saw the man's face. Her blood ran cold and she froze when she met his eyes. His expression mirrored hers, even as he took a step towards her.

"Emma?" She was sure she heard her name fall from his lips, but it only served to make her flinch and jump back, mouth falling open. Her body hit a shelf, causing everything on top of it to rattle and crash to the floor, bringing everybody's attention to her.

Her hand slapping over her gun holster made him halt his advance and raise his hands slightly at his sides.

"We're all dead.. Because of you." Andrea said to the man. The man who looked like Rick. The man who had Rick's voice. But it wasn't him. It couldn't be. It's not real, Emma kept telling herself. Either that, or she was going crazy and seeing the ghost of a man she was convinced she was never gonna see again.

"I don't understand.." Rick told everybody, meeting all their anxious gazes.

The rest of the conversation fell on silent ears as they explained the dangers of the situation to the man. Emma couldn't hear a thing. She only stared at him, following behind the group towards the front of the store. She could hear the walkers. Banging against the glass. Trying to get in. But she saw nothing but Rick. She wanted to believe it was him. But he was dead. She saw him die.

"What were you doing down there anyways?" Morales asked as they all backed away from the doors. Their presence riled up the walkers even more.

"Trying to find the helicopter.."

"Ain't no damn helicopter." T-dog said, staring at the man like he was nuts.

"I saw it."

Morales ignored him. "T-dog, try see if you can contact the others." T-dog immediately whipped out the walkie.

"Others? The refugee centre?"

Jacqui rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the refugee center. They got biscuits waiting in the oven for us.."

T-dog groaned. "No signal. Maybe-" he was cut off my more gunshots. Everybody's eyes flicked to the ceiling.

"Is that Dixon?" Andrea grumbled before everybody took off for the stairs. Once again.

Emma was at the back of the group, and she struggled to keep up. So by the time she got to the roof, all she could hear was yelling, and the sounds of Merle's fists connecting with T-dog's face over and over. Her feet carried her over to the commotion without her even realizing it in her shocked state.

Merle wouldn't let up, and the hands all over him trying to pull him back were only fueling his anger. He took his hands off T-dog for only a moment and spun around, swinging his fists at the first thing he saw.

All Emma remembered was the pain, before the world went dark.

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**I know I left a lot of the conversations and details out regarding the actual episode, but I'm not here to rewrite the show! (If I could, Daryl would be mine!) Please review? Feedback will get chapters out faster ;))**


	9. Blood

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Nine: "Blood"**

**Special Thanks to:: Prettyprincess45, LadyxAbsinthe, Guest, ChevyImpalaCryWolf, WalkerGirl1994, enchantmentanjel, just. Me. And. Nobody. else, Tattoo320 & Tukiko Miyuki ! :))**

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Emma pressed the cloth more firmly against her split lip. It wouldn't stop bleeding but at least it didn't hurt that much. Well, not yet anyway. Maybe she was still a bit numb. She glanced at Merle from under her thick lashes - At least the guy had the decency to look a little guilty for decking her. The earlier "Y'know it wasn't meant fer you" was probably as close to an apology as she was gonna get.

After being knocked out, she woke up to find him cuffed to a pipe. She didn't need to think too hard to figure out who done it.

"You alright?" Rick inquired, sitting beside her with his back against the wall. She leaned her head against his shoulder and gave a slight nod.

"It hurts.. That means I'm not dreaming right?" She asked and he chuckled lightly, even though she wasn't joking.

"Nah. I'm here." He playfully pinched her thigh to prove his point.

"I watched you die." She lifted her head to look at him. "That's a little creepy, I know. But that means you're not supposed to be sitting here. Actually talking to me.."

"Shouldn't be. But believe me, I'm happy I found you." His lips found her forehead and her eyes shut to their own accord as a lone tear slipped down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. Rick pulled away and grasped her chin, turning her head side to side, surveying the damage done by Merle's beefy fist.

Her lower lip was split, and swollen, and her jaw had already turned a dark shade of purple - almost black. And there was a fairly large cut on her temple from the fall to the cement. Maybe if he'd noticed she was so close, he could have stopped it from happening. Although, nobody expected Merle Dixon to hit a young girl, no matter how fucked up he was.

"Not too bad.." He said before getting to his feet.

She followed him up. "I can take a hit, remember."

Rick gave her a small -almost sad- smile. "A fact I was on the verge of forgetting."

Maybe she shouldn't be bringing up the past, so she just shut her mouth and nodded.

"It's like time square down there.." Andrea mumbled, her eyes on all the walkers shambling down on the street.

"How's the signal?"

T-dog sat on the ground, fiddling with the walkie. "Like Dixon's brain. Weak."

Merle glared at the man, raising his middle finger. "Fuck you."

Rick ignored Merle, and leaned against the wall. "Just keep trying."

Andrea almost rolled her eyes. "Why? There's nothin' we can do."

Rick just frowned at her. "You're trying to contact somebody. Doesn't that mean there's help out there?"

"Got some people outside the city.." Morales clarified for him. "There's no refugee centre."

Rick took a deep breath, his fists clenching against the concrete wall. "Then she's right. We're on our own. We have to find a way out."

"These streets ain't safe this part of town from what I hear." Merle grumbled from his spot on the floor, jingling the cuffs to get more attention. "Ain't that right sugar tits?" Emma rolled her eyes and tuned out the rest of his conversation with Andrea. She'd heard enough of this in the car, and it was kinda pathetic.

"What about under the streets then?" Emma offered, glancing at everybody.

"The sewers?" Morales asked, and she nodded.

Glenn ran to the other side of the roof and looked down at the alleyway below. "No manhole covers.. They're all out on the main street. Where the geeks are." He told them, disappointment evident in his voice, and it matched the look on everybody's faces.

Jaqui was quick to pipe in about some buildings having drainage tunnels into the sewers in the basement. It used to be her job to know those things, apparently.

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Emma blew out a breath as she shone her flashlight down the tunnel. Glenn had led them down to the sub-basement, but refused to take the entire group down there with him. It was a small space, and he didn't want to be crowded if something happened that would make him need a fast exit. He would only take one person with him, and that person happened to be her.

"Why me?" Her voice echoed eerily across the chilly walls, and she shivered involuntarily.

"You're small." Glenn shrugged. "Easy to get passed if somethin' happens down here." She knew he was kidding, but she still stuck herself even closer to his side.

She felt him shaking with silent laughter and elbowed his side. "Small, yes. But I am faster than you."

Glenn smirked down at her, but didn't say anything. They both knew that they wouldn't leave the other behind. Well, at least he knew he wouldn't leave her. He could only hope she had the same mindset.

"Jaqui was right.." Glenn observed as they came to a stop at the end of the tunnel.

Emma eyed the thick metal grid blocking their path. "Can we cut through it?"

"If we had a bow torch and half a day." He told her. "So no."

Emma frowned, straining her ears as she heard a strange sound."What's that noise?"

Glenn lowered the shine of his flashlight and they both jumped back at the sight of a walker. It's entire face was covered in blood. Rat blood - if the tail hanging from it's lipless mouth was any indication. It reached it's pale fingers through the holes, trying to get to them as it hissed and growled

"C'mon." Glenn grabbed her hand and pulled her after him. Looks like they'd have to get another way out.

The pair quickly started making their way back to the store. The walker's breathless noises continued to surround them, so it wasn't long before they were actually running down the tunnel to get away from the sounds.

They burst through the door, and the sound of breaking glass met their ears. The walkers had finally broken down the first door, and were already pushing up against the last one.

"What you find down there?" Rick asked, neither looking at them nor lowering his gun which was pointed at the geeks in case they busted through.

"Not a way out." Glenn said as the rest of the group followed the noises and gathered around.

Emma could feel panic setting in amongst everybody. "We have to find a way. That door won't hold them for long." She said, grabbing Rick's arm to coax him upstairs. Everybody else followed suit.

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"If bad idea's were an olympic event, this would take the gold." Glenn said, his eyes following Rick around the room.

Morales grabbed Rick's arm. "He's right. Just stop, ok? Let's take time to think this through."

"How much time do you think we have? Like Emma said, that glass won't hold forever. You saw how fast the first door went down. Are you willing to wait?" Rick said, shutting everybody up immediately.

Emma was only half listening to the bickering as she stared at the corpse Rick and Morales had dragged in. She didn't even wanna think that soon, its guts and blood would be all over her, but she couldn't help it. The thought itself was enough to make her nauseous. She wasn't sure how she was going to react when it actually happened.

Andrea handed her a white coat and gloves, but she was hesitant to put them on. "Alright." Rick said to himself, pulling the mask down and raising the axe high above his head, ready to rip this walker a new one. But as he was bringing it down, instead of it hitting the geek, he dropped it to the ground and bent down, rummaging through the dead man's pockets. Emma couldn't listen as he listed things about the man they were about to cut up.

"One more thing... He's an organ donor." Glenn added, right before Rick finally swung the axe down. There were collective noises of disgust from the group, and everyone sounded like they were on the verge of throwing up. Emma knew that she was, and Glenn looked a bit green too.

As soon as the smell hit them, everybody turned away. Even Rick couldn't stand it, and he took a break, letting T-dog take over.

"Everybody got gloves. Don't get any on your skin, or in your eyes." Rick informed them, before he dug his hands into the corpses stomach with a wet squelch and smeared the guts all over the coat he wore.

Emma's eyes widened as Jacqui came towards her, hands filled with flesh and blood.

"You don't have to come, Em." Rick said, and she violently shook her head. Half of the reason she volunteered to go was so that she could do her part in helping the group get out of here. The other reason was that less than an hour ago, she'd found out Rick wasn't in fact dead. She wasn't ready to let him out of her sight so soon.

"I'm good." She mumbled. Jacqui didn't hesitate to wipe her hands off on the coat. She let the others continue to cover her with the insides of what used to be a person. She had to draw the line at sticking her hands inside a dead body.

"Oh my god. This is bad. It's really bad." Glenn tilted his head towards the ceiling, as if that would prevent him from smelling the foul stench.

"Think bout somethin' else. Puppies. Kittens." Rick offered as Andrea hung a string of intestines around his neck.

"Dead puppies and kittens." T-dog added his two cents, making everybody groan.

"Thanks for that, T." Emma snapped.

Glenn immediately doubled over and emptied the contents of his stomach at his feet. "This is just evil. What's wrong with you?" Andrea said pointedly at T-dog.

"Next time, let the cracker beat his ass." Jacqui piped in from over Rick's shoulder. Emma stifled a smile and looked away. The woman probably wasn't joking.

T-dog sighed. "Sorry, man."

"You suck." Glenn mumbled, wiping his mouth.

"We smell like them?" Rick asked, taking the axe from Morales.

"Oh yeah."

"If we make it back, be ready."

"What about Merle Dixon?" T-dog asked, not really sounding concerned at all. Rick dug in his pocket for a moment before he pulled out the handcuff key and tossed it at T-dog, who caught it easily.

Rick led her and Glenn out of the safety of the store through the back exit. They were going to test this theory out on the two walkers in the alley before they actually went out onto the street.

The three of them started their fake limp as they shambled down the alley. Every time they passed a walker, they held their breath and their hands tightened on their weapons. Rick had the axe, and Glenn and Emma had their baseball bats. Each of them had a gun though, just in case.

Emma kept her eyes downcast as she passed the walkers. They didn't seem to notice anything. Dumb fucks, she thought with a slight smirk. She started feeling confident, but she knew that would change once they crawled under the truck - the last thing keeping them away from all the geeks.

All she could see were dragging feet as she layed on her stomach, and her movements faltered for a moment. She could still turn back. She could still get out of this. But she wouldn't leave Rick and Glenn now, no matter how afraid she was.

The trio slowly got to their feet, keeping their eyes on the walkers closest to them as they limped along. Emma walked as close to Rick as she could, and she felt that even he was shaking - maybe even more than she was.

She wanted to laugh as she heard Glenn start groaning next to her when a walker stopped in front of him, but she quickly bit her lip. They could joke about it later. When they made it out of this.

Emma felt Rick's body tense beside hers as thunder crackled above their heads, and rain drops started hitting them. But they kept walking, though their steps slowed when heads started turning towards them. And a few walkers even stuck their noses in the air as they passed.

Glenn leaned his head towards Rick a bit. "The smell is washing off. Isn't it? Isn't it?!"

"Glenn stop." Emma whispered, her lips barely moving.

Rick did a complete circle, his eyes never leaving a walker that got too close for comfort. "Maybe." The geek suddenly growled and leapt for Rick, who quickly raised the axe and brought it down on the walker's skull with a sickening crack. "Run!" He yelled, and the other two immediately complied.

As soon as they took off in a sprint, they alerted the other walkers and it wasn't long before they had the whole horde going after them. They could see the fence up ahead and their goal only pushed them to run faster.

Emma was nearly to the fence when she suddenly felt something grab her and pull her back. She screamed as a reflex, letting her arms go slack so the coat slipped off. The force immediately left her as the walker that grabbed her was only left with the bloodied material. Her entire body was shaking as she scaled the fence. She ignored the spike digging into her abdomen, cutting into her flesh and let herself drop to the concrete below. The fall knocked her breath out of her, and she could just lay there, tears welling up in her eyes from the pain.

Rick stood a few feet ahead of her, shooting at the walkers that were about to get over the fence. Glenn ran over to the white box against the wall.

"Rick!" Glenn yelled, throwing the keys at him before sprinting off towards a Fernenc Industries van and climbing in. Rick grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her up off the floor, dragging her after him. He practically threw her into the van, and she ended up on Glenn's lap in the passenger seat. A walker threw itself against the window and his grip on her tightened. It would probably bruise, but it was nothing compared to the scrapes covering her arms from the fall.

The fence collapsed under the weight of the walkers just as Rick started the van and sped off. Emma was barely listening as he explained to Glenn that he needed the area in front of the store cleared. All she could focus on was the searing pain as she gripped her stomach. Blood was quickly seeping through her shirt, but she hid it best she could.

"Draw the geeks away? How? I missed that part!" Glenn stammered, finally releasing his hold on her.

"Noise." Rick said simply.

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"Roll up doors in front of the store. Meet us there and be ready." Emma said to T-dog through the walkie as Rick drove back towards the store. Glenn was ahead of them in a red Dodge Challenger, alarm blaring so he could lead the walkers away from the area.

Emma glanced down at her hands, still pressed tightly against her stomach. The bleeding had slowed down, but hadn't stopped. The sight of her own blood was making her light headed. However, she didn't tell Rick she was hurt. There were more important things going on right now.

Rick glanced over at her when he heard a sharp intake of breath, but she quickly played it off as though she was just relieved they were getting out of this. She forced a smile, and he seemed to believe it.

Rick turned into the empty street and backed the van up against the roll up doors. He jumped up and went to the back, rolling up the van door and banged on the metal, letting the group know they could come out. She watched from her seat as everybody threw their things inside and piled in. T-dog was the last one inside, so he pulled the doors down as Rick sped off. They were finally going back to camp.

Emma glanced around at everybody. But there was somebody missing, and she wasn't talking about Glenn.

"I dropped the key." T-dog admitted, noticing everybody looking at him. They'd all seen Rick give him the key. They all knew he was the reason Merle wasn't there.

Emma sank more into her seat, eyes falling shut. Both from the pain, and the worry that was now setting in. Daryl was going to be fucking furious.

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	10. Past Bound

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Ten: "Past Bound"**

**Special thanks to:: Tattoo320, Cece12, KairiAnneYukari21, Little-doodle-laura5663, bloodychu, wickedclownsmile, mychippedcup & I'm a fire truck ! :))**

***edited* so I'm sorry for those of you getting a second email. **

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Alex carefully lifted Emma's body into his arms and carried her out of the van. After finally releasing Amy, Andrea had answered at least one of his questions and told him that Emma had fallen asleep during the trip back, and that she was fine. All things considered.

He had to stop for a brief moment and let Shane give her a once-over, before he was allowed to take her back to her tent. He made sure to keep her pressed close to his body as her father's eyes did a quick scan. The worry seeped out of Shane almost immediately after seeing the steady rise and fall of her chest. But was quickly replaced by anger at the sight of her bruised jaw and busted lip - Glenn had informed him that it was Merle Dixon's handy work.

Sure, Alex was deeply touched by the Grimes family reunion going on behind him, but he was also painstakingly aware of the blood staining the front of her shirt. Too light to be walker blood, and yet nobody seemed the least bit concerned about her. Which could only mean one thing - they didn't know. And if they didn't know, then Emma sure as hell didn't want them to.

She stirred in his arms the second he stepped into the tent, and he quickly placed her on the cot before going back to zip up the tent door. He kneeled down beside her, and couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face when her blue eyes snapped open to meet his.

"Hey.." She whispered after clearing her throat. Her voice was raspy, either from just waking up, or being thirsty. He helped her sit up before handing her the bottle of water she'd left by her cot that morning.

"You're hurt." Alex motioned to the blood before lifting her shirt. She pulled the bottle away from her lips and hissed as the material stuck to the cut. "Sorry." He said as he eyed the gash. It had to be at least four inches long, situated diagonally above her navel. "What happened?"

"Just a cut on a fence."

"_Just_ a cut on a fence.." He repeated, prodding at the wound. "Gonna need stitches, missy."

" 'S'why I came to the expert." She playfully patted his scruffy cheek before laying down again, keeping her shirt bunched up just below her breasts.

Alex nearly rolled his eyes at the statement, but left the tent anyways to get the emergency kit in his truck. The bag was pretty small, so he didn't need to try too hard to hide it from passing camp members.

"Why didn't you tell anybody?" Alex asked as he sat crossed legged beside the cot, holding the needle under his zippo lighter's flame. He waited for it to cool down before he disinfected the other side.

"There were more important things going on." Emma shrugged. "Plus, if I told them, they'd have to look." Her hands fisted in the blanket beneath her as he cleaned around the gash, and she tried not to tense up when his fingers absentmindedly traced the largest of many scars littering her torso.

Alex nodded. "Wouldn't want that, now would we?" He almost sounded sarcastic.

"Hid it well enough for two years. Not gonna blow it over a little scratch."

"Didn't know a little scratch could bleed so damn much."

"Shut up." She snapped halfheartedly, shutting her eyes and preparing for when he first pierced her skin. It didn't hurt so bad. Maybe she was getting used to it. "The world may have gone to hell but you and I both know Shane would hunt him down if he found out."

"You say it like Trace is _that_ easy to find."

Emma visibly stiffened at the name. "_You_ found him."

Alex's eyes cut to hers and she seen his nostrils flare. "Drop it."

"You brought it up."

He avoided her gaze then. Almost rushing to finish up the stitches so he could get away. But Emma wouldn't let him; they'd avoided the sore subject long enough.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually looked guilty." Emma accused, pulling on a clean shirt once he'd finished up.

"Mal, he's my brother-"

"Was." She corrected. "You can't possibly consider him family anymore. Brother's don't do that shit to each other."

"But he _is_ family. He always will be."

Emma stared at him, her face completely void of emotion as she grasped the back of his neck, forcing him to look at her. "Bound by love, not by blood." She'd said it to him the night she sat in a pool of her own blood, and here she was repeating it long after.

Until now, she'd thought she was the only one who walked away with scars from what happened. But as she saw tears well up in his eyes, she realized she was wrong. She'd endured the physical torture, but Trace had toyed with his brother's emotions rather than actually touch him. And that, Emma thought, could cause more pain than any punch. Any cut, or any kick.

It was a whole new kind of broken, and she wasn't exactly sure how to deal with it.

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**A/N: only after I actually wrote the chapter did I realize that it's gonna cause a bit of confusion, but I'm just too happy with it to change it. If it's what you guys want, I can explain what they're talking about in this chapter (in due time) or I can just mention it where necessary, but not go into detail if depressing pasts bore you. Which do you prefer?**


	11. Moody Bunch

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Eleven: "Moody Bunch"**

**Special Thanks To:: Boremi18, serpil, EastDenise, twilightgirl1690, Caity6991, xAmandaxXxPandax, DarkRaid123, NashaeBaby, MonkeysGoBoo, enchantmentanjel, & gulllakegirl08 !**

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Yelling. It was always yelling.

Emma untangled herself from the limbs wrapped around her and sat up. She searched for her boots and slipped them on before she jumped out of the camper shell.

She spared Alex a glance as she righted her clothing, still out of sight from everybody else. He remained sprawled out on his back, snoring softly. Even in his sleep, his hand reached out for something. Maybe someone. She'd like to think it was her, but he could be seeking comfort from anybody at this point.

On her way back to her tent after dinner last night, she was fairly surprised when he'd asked her to stay with him in his truck. He was a loner guy; even more so when he slept. But waking up to him wrapped around her like a vine made her question it. She kept jumping back to the fact that he was seeking comfort, and she was the only one he could get it from right now.

Emma thought that maybe she should have said no and gone back to her tent. She hated seeing him so dependable. That wasn't the Alex she knew. But even hours after the whole incident in the tent, he remained on the verge of tears. It felt like if anything besides a 'yes' left her lips, he'd just break down. In front of everybody. And she couldn't have that. Alexander Valentine was no cry baby. Not even a little bit. And she hated the fact that even mentioning Trace could bring him to tears; make him close off. Again, make him so _dependable_. It wasn't right, and it was downright unnerving to see him like that.

Emma shook her head and slowly lowered the hood in place, so not to wake him. She ran her hands through her hair repeatedly as she made her way to the commotion, trying not to look thoroughly fucked. A few people already thought it was like _that_ between her and Alex, and she wouldn't fuel their curiosity.

"You best let me go!" Daryl's voice was loud and threatening as she walked up beside T-dog. This was a situation she was hoping she could have missed.

"I think it's better if I don't." Her dad had him locked in a chokehold on the ground, speaking calmly despite Daryl's contrasting wild and emotional state.

"Chokehold is illegal." Daryl coughed, his face turning red as Shane's arm tightened around his windpipe.

"Yeah, file a complaint, asshole."

Rick kneeled down in front of the pair. "I'd like to have a calm discussion. Think we can do that?" Daryl only grunted, avoiding eye contact and struggling against the hold. Only when Rick repeated himself, did he manage a nod. Shane roughly let him go, causing him to fall in the dirt.

"What I did was not on a whim.." Rick continued steadily. "Your brother does not work well with others."

Emma's eyes widened as Rick motioned to her. Still on the ground, Daryl's eyes cut to here. She met his teary, bloodshot orbs briefly before she hung her head, letting her hair fall partially over her face; hiding it.

"Merle didn't do that." Daryl seemed so sure of himself. His blind admiration for his older brother amazed her to some extent.

"I don't know you." Rick stated the obvious. "I have no reason to lie to you. Seven of us saw it, 'nd you can ask him yourself."

"Might be able to if yer pathetic ass didn't leave him on a fuckin' roof!" Daryl barked, getting swiftly to his feet.

"It ain't Rick's fault." T-dog piped in from beside her. She wanted to elbow him for bringing the younger Dixon's attention back over to them, but people were already looking. "I had the key and I dropped it."

"Couldn't ya pick it up?" Daryl stared at him incredulously, but she didn't miss the way his eyes kept flicking back to her face. Taking in the bruises, no doubt.

"In a drain.. I dropped it in a drain."

Daryl scoffed. "If that's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."

"Maybe this will.." T-dog's words stopped Daryl dead in his tracks where he'd started walking away. "I chained the door, so the geeks couldn't get 'im."

"It's gotta count for somethin'."

"Fuck man, just tell me where he is. So's I can go get him.." Daryl's voice broke with emotion as he swiped his arm over his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears even though a lot of people saw 'em already.

"That won't be necessary." Rick said slowly. "I'm goin' back."

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"Tell me, Rick. Why would you risk your life for that douchebag?" Shane muttered, following behind Rick.

"Hey." Daryl grunted as he sat down beside Emma, pointing his bolt at the ex cop. "Choose your words more carefully."

"Nah, douchebags what I meant." Emma stifled a laugh, even as Daryl squinted his piercing blue eyes at her. "Merle Dixon." Shane scoffed. "A guy who wouldn't give you a drink of water even if you were dyin' of thirst."

"_**I**_ can't let a man die of thirst, and exposure. We left him like an animal in a trap." Rick argued, finally turning to face his friend.

"So you and Daryl?" Lori muttered. "Is that your big plan?"

Rick placed his hands low on his hips and turned around to face Glenn. "C'mon.. Man.." Emma heard Glenn groan and realized Rick was wordlessly pleading with him to come along. Though she was distracted partially from the conversation when fingers grasped her chin, turning her head to the side.

Daryl had the same gentle touch he had back in the cabin as he examined what Merle had done. His expression was full of concentration, and yet, still not missing the way Shane glared at him over Emma's shoulder, obviously not liking the fact that the hunter had his hands on his daughter.

"Now you gonna risk three men?" Shane didn't take his eyes off of Dixon as he spoke to Rick.

"Four." T-dog piped in.

"I'm goin'." Emma's eyes widened at Alex's voice coming from behind her. Before she could argue, he slid onto the stump behind her and clasped his hand over her already-open mouth. She remained still, not wanting to cause another scene. If he thought it meant she wasn't gonna chew his ear off later, he could think again.

"My day just keeps gettin' better and better, huh?" Daryl mumbled sarcastically.

"It's not just five. Now you're riskin' the whole group. You saw that walker.. If more come, we need every able body we got." Shane just wouldn't let it go.

"What we really need... are more guns." That caught everybody's attention and the group started wandering closer to the two men.

"Guns? What guns?"

"6 shot guns, 2 rifles.. over a dozen hand guns. I cleaned out the cage at the station, but I dropped the bag in Atlanta.."

"Ammo?"

"700 rounds. Assorted."

"You went through hell to find us." Lori's voice was a low, battered whisper. "Now you're just gonna leave?"

"I don't want you to go.." Carl said softly, his eyes flashing with hurt.

"Merle Dixon isn't worth one of your lives.. Even with the guns thrown in. Just.. make me understand." Lori pleaded, pressing her palms together in front of her chest. Like she was about to start praying; maybe she should've.

"I owe a debt to a man I met. And his little boy." Rick spoke low, almost only to his wife. "Without them... I wouldn't be here. If I don't warn them, they'll walk into the same trap I did."

"Why's the bag make a difference?" Emma wondered out loud after Alex finally moved his hand.

"There's a walkie in the bag I dropped. He has the other one.. Our plan was to meet up when we got closer. I.. I have to warn him."

"What's wrong with the CB?" Andrea asked.

"CB's fine, it's the walkie that's crap." Shane told everyone. "Doesn't match any other band width. Not even the scanners in our cars."

Rick tilted his head lower, making Lori look at him. "I need that bag.." Lori nodded slowly, something a lot of people seemed to be waiting for as they all sighed and dispersed after it happened.

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"No." Emma practically growled, dropping down on the open tailgate and wrapping her legs around his, keeping him in front of her.

Alex glared at her. "Jesus. Don't do this." He reached behind him and grasped her calves, trying to get away but she locked her ankles and fisted her hands in the front of his shirt.

"I won't let you go out there."

"Why not? You did." He argued, trying to step back. He couldn't understand where a girl half his size could muster up this kinda strength.

"Because you're hurt." The image of him tumbling down the stairs flashed into her mind.

"I ain't."

Emma squeezed her eyes shut. "Did you hit your head so bad that you forgot you fell in the first place?" Without opening her fists, she lifted his shirt. The bruises were nowhere near gone, even nearly two weeks later. The walker, as well as the stairs had done a helluva number on his ribs.

"It don't hurt no more, Mal." Alex mumbled, proving his point by sliding her legs up to his hips and grasping her thighs, easily lifting her from the truck. No way in hell would he have been able to pick her up if it still hurt. Couldn't she tell by the way he'd carried her yesterday?

Emma slid her hands from his chest to the base of his neck. She didn't need to try very hard to force tears into welling up in her eyes.

"Cryin' is cheating." Alex sighed, wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her tighter against his chest.

"Please, Alex. Please don't leave." She held his gaze. He needed to see how scared she was. It was the only way he would cave.

"You say it like I ain't comin' back." He joked, but by the way her nails dug into his neck, he knew she didn't find it very funny.

"Alex we're leav- oh. I'm sorry." Glenn mumbled the last part as he stepped around the truck, thinking he was interrupting something private.

"Ain't nothin', man." Alex shrugged nonchalantly, setting Emma down. He played it off even though he could practically feel the blush fighting it's way to his cheeks. "Be right there."

Glenn gladly took his queue to go, leaving the two alone again. Alex waited while she wiped away her tears before they headed over to the van. The same box van the group had escaped with earlier.

Alex was about to climb in the van from the back when she grabbed his arm. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?"

She grabbed his wrist at the same time she handed her gun over for him to take, knowing he was gonna deny her offer. "You're gonna take it. And you're not gonna complain."

"Watch me." He made no move to take it.

"You take it. Or you stay." She said simply, leaving no room for another option.

"Don't have to listen to you." He jerked away from her grasp.

"Alex, take it. Or so help me god, I will tie you down." He knew she wasn't kidding, by the way her eyes darkened and her jaw set.

Emma thought that he was way too emotional to be going on this trip, but if he was so dead set on going, he was gonna at least take the weapon. She knew that putting a gun in his hands would only add to his distressed state, but she had no choice. If she wasn't hurt, she'd be going right there with him. But she didn't wanna slow the group down by tagging along, so all she could do was give him the gun.

Alex hesitantly reached for it, and she could feel his hands shaking as he took it in his palm. He stared at it for a moment, before tucking it in the back of his pants.

"I know you probably won't use it..." The guy didn't like guns, and she knew nothing she did would change that.

"Only takin' it to give you a little peace of mind, 's'all."

Emma nodded. That was good enough for her. Alex said nothing to her. He didn't even smile or nod before he climbed up, disappearing from her view as she stepped back around the side of the van.

"Dunno why the hell yer so damn worried." Daryl grunted as soon as she rounded the van. He leaned his shoulder against the box, staring down at her with squinted eyes.

His expression looked angry. As if he was scowling at her. _Wasn't me_, she thought. She sure as hell didn't remember provoking him, so why did he look so pissed at her?

When she didn't say anything, Daryl pushed off the box and started towards her. They were hidden from anyone's view from this side of the vehicle, and her body tensed but at the last second he turned slightly and went passed. He knocked her shoulder and she stumbled slightly but managed to catch herself on the van.

"Well fuck you too.." She whispered, not intending for him to hear any of it. Her eyes quickly snapped up when she heard him stop walking. As soon as she seen him glaring over his shoulder at her, her eyes widened and she took off around the other side of the van.

_Not a way to stay on somebody's good side..._

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	12. Happens To The Worst Of Us

**Special thanks to:: stephaniejeanlovestoread, Caity6991, enchantmentanjel, JayMars & XxRikela-chanxX! :)**

**[A/N: I'm not too sure about this chapter, so please lemme know how it went. And I hope you guys are happy that I revealed a bit about Emma's past here!]**

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Emma stared down at her hands as she wrung the water out of one of her dad's stained t-shirts. She was shaking noticeably, but she hoped nobody was paying that much attention to her.

The afternoon sun was high in the sky as the five of them settled to do the camp's laundry. The rescue party had only been gone for an hour. She wasn't sure she'd ever been this worried about a group going out. She couldn't recall feeling this way; not even when they were stuck in that store. Her chest hurt - actually _hurt_. Her mind was running full of idea's about how it could all go wrong; how one of them could end up not coming back, or even that none of them would return.

"You shouldn't worry so much." Amy piped in from beside her.

Emma bent down to dip the soapy shirt in the water. "What makes you think I'm worried?" She heard the whole group of women start giggling around her and looked up, a deep frown setting in.

"Oh, nothing." Jacqui could barely stop herself from laughing. "Just that you've washed that shirt three times now."

"Right.. No. It was just.. Uh.. Just.. really dirty. That's all." Emma stuttered, tossing the shirt in the empty basket next to her before grabbing another. She jumped when she felt a hand come to rest on her knee.

"It's okay to be concerned, Emma." Carol tried to comfort her. "Just don't let that be the only thing on your mind. They're gonna be just fine."

"Yeah, girl. Your boo's comin' back. In one piece, too." Jacqui whispered with a wink, sending everyone into another fit of giggles.

_This again?_ "Alex isn't-"

"Not.. Alex.." Amy murmured, not making eye contact but a knowing smile spread over everybody's lips nonetheless.

Emma's frowned deepened - if that was even possible. "What're you talking about?"

"Honey, please." Jacqui started. "Ain't nobody missin' the man's smile when he 'rounded that van." They didn't even mention a name, but she knew exactly who they were talking about.

"The van that _you_ came around, just before." Andrea said as Emma opened her mouth to deny that it was for her. She bit her lip and looked down, now fighting her own smile. _So he was smiling at the fact that she practically ran away from the look he gave her? Fucker._

"Might have been more of a smirk though.. Do the Dixon's even know how to do anything else besides leer and scowl?" Amy joked.

The corner of Emma's mouth twitched upwards, but she kept her gaze downcast. Guy talk? She wasn't even sure she remembered how to do that. The last group of girlfriends she'd had was when she was thirteen. After that, she was always with Alex. Which resulted in her always being with _his_ group of friends. The few girls in his clique never payed her any mind; always pretending like she was never there. Until Trace started hanging around more. Then they would talk to her, but only to insert crude comments and nasty nicknames. Like it was her fault that Trace had shown interest in her, instead of them...

Lost in her thoughts, she nearly jumped ten feet in the air when she heard yelling, followed by splashing. She looked up from the soaked pair of jeans and saw the source - Shane was helping Carl catch frogs, like he'd promised. Well, at least he was trying. Didn't look to be going well, as Carl lifted up an empty net.

"I'm beginnin' to question the division of labor here.." Jacqui mumbled as she dropped down after getting another load of laundry from the jeep. "Will someone explain to me how we ended up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?"

"The world ended. Didn't you get the memo?"

"It's just the way it is, now." Carol told everybody. Emma noticed that she kept glancing over her shoulder. She regretted following the woman's gaze as soon as she saw Ed leaning against the car, watching them all closely. She quickly looked away, busying herself in the work.

"This heat is killing me." Emma mumbled, swiping her arm over her forehead and shifting slightly. Her ass was starting to hurt from the uncomfortable crate she was using as a seat in the water to keep dry. "If I face plant into the water, don't be too surprised."

"Might as well take a dip." Andrea suggested. "Gonna be here for a while."

Emma considered it for a moment, but then quickly shook the idea from her head. She wasn't willing to give a wet T-shirt show to the dirty ol' perv behind her. Why was Ed watching them like that?

"Can't believe I'm using a washboard." Carol mused. "Man, do I miss my may tag.."

They all started listing off the things they wished they could have back, but Emma actually had to think about it for a moment. There were so many things. "Electricity, for one. Lazing around on the couch, multitasking between.. well, everything." Amy laughed at that. "Hot showers.. Even being able to get away from my dad any time I wanted."

"Why is that, by the way?" Andrea pried. "Not that I blame you for wanting to get away from **that** from time to time. You don't even call him dad." _Well, not to his face._

"Guess we just never had that average father/daughter relationship. Just saw him as more of my mother's direct sperm donor than a man I'm supposed to look up to." Emma shrugged.

"You think that all the time?"

"Not lately.." She admitted. "Probably cause now I'm forced to spend time with him. He's not so bad when he's actually around. Never saw him much, before all this." She gestured her hand around her, deliberately splashing Amy a little.

"Is your mom dead?" She heard Amy ask, followed by a grunt as her sister elbowed her side. "Sorry.."

"It's okay.." Emma smiled. "I don't know if she's dead. I don't know where she is.. I don't even know her last name." She'd never been afraid to talk about her mom. Ashamed, mostly. But never afraid. "I never met her."

She looked up, noticing all the woman watching her intently. Laundry forgotten as they waited for her to continue. "Her and my dad had me when they were about seventeen. She left exactly a week after I was born, and just... never came back."

"That's awful.. But I don't understand how that affected your relationship with Shane..." Jacqui said, genuinely confused.

"I only met him seven years ago." Emma sighed. "It's pretty hard to consider him a father when he didn't want me for ten years. But I'm managing." She looked up, noticing that all the women now had a doleful expression. But she couldn't really blame them. She would've apologized for dampening the mood, had they not asked for the story in the first place. "Yeah, my life's just a little more fucked up than dead people tryna eat your face off.."

Amy smiled and held up her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "Just a little.."

"Well, **I** miss my vibrator." Andrea added, slapping down a shirt. Everybody smirked at her, before bursting into a fit of giggles when Carol said the same thing.

"Let's go." Emma's back stiffened at Ed's rough voice behind them, as did Carol's.

"We're not done yet, Ed."

"Its okay," Carol acquiesced, standing up.

"You don't have to go, Carol." Andrea told the woman.

Ed took a few steps closer." I don't need no smart mouthed city bitch telling my wife what to do. That's my job. You keep stickin' yer nose in places it don't belong, yer gonna be sorry."

"Why, are you gonna hit me like you hit your wife? We see the bruises." Andrea retorted, stepping slightly in front of Carol.

No one saw it coming, but the second Ed layed his hands on his wife, Shane was suddenly there tackling him to the ground, beating his face bloody with only his fists. It was vicious and ugly, even for a man like Ed. But he wouldn't stop.

"Shane! Let him go!" Emma had walked right up to the pair, going un-noticed as the women tried to keep Carol away from the fight. She was standing behind Shane now, hands on his shoulders and fisted in his shirt. "He's not worth breakin' yer hand over." She said steadily, after he'd stop punching. It was like even after he's heard her voice, he immediately came to a raging halt, only bloody fist still remaining in the air.

"If I ever hear 'bout you laying a hand on a woman again, don't think I won't kill you." He hissed before getting to his feet, letting Emma lead him away.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Emma said once they were a safe distance away from the water, and the women.

"Watch your mouth." Shane scolded, grasping her arm and moving her to walk in front of him.

"Watch your temper." She mumbled, spinning around to face him. "Ed deserved that. I'll agree with you there. But Carol shouldn't have been there to watch it. That was cruel."

"Cruel." Shane scoffed. "Fucker had it comin'."

"I'm not arguing." Emma almost whispered, looking passed Shane and seeing Carol still apologizing to Ed. He didn't deserve someone as kind as her. "But you're supposed to lead these people. Not scare them."

"A little fear goes a long way."

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**PS: I hope you all wish Bae a happy B-day however you're able to;)) ! ! !**

**#46YearsOfPerfection!**

**Please drop a review on your way out! I highly appreciate every single one of them.**


	13. Count Your Losses

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Thirteen: "Count Your Losses"**

**Special thanks to:: enchantmentanjel, shadygrl91, KairiAnneYukari21, Caity6991, Emily-Who-Killed-A-Man, walter-needz-luv-2 & SkullAuror107 ! c:**

**[[A/N: Bit of a jump in this chapter, but I hope you don't mind! We all know what happened in Episode4, and I've got nothing to change there so rewriting it would just be redundant(and boring).]]**

**Enjoy! **

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The stench of death and blood still hung heavy in the air the next morning. Mixing with the smell of gunpowder just reminded her of the hospital. She felt like she was there all over again.

...except it was ten times worse.

In the hospital, it had been filled with corpses too, but she didn't recognize the faces. And now, she knew every single one of them. Not well, but she'd made herself acquainted.

They'd gone from a sizable group of thirty-five, down to a substantially less number of nineteen members in only a few minutes. Maybe an hour... it all happened so fast.

Emma felt like she could still hear the screams echoing inside her head. Amy's rung out the loudest. She remembered Andrea's cries; the desperation. But it was too late... Her sister was gone.

Andrea remained at Amy's side nonetheless. Clutching a cold, dead hand between her own. The whole thing was _keeping_ everybody on edge, long after the attack. Everybody was tip toeing around the two, whilst waiting for the girl to turn. Nobody was allowed near the body, according to Andrea. She'd whipped her gun out on Rick the second he got too close. She didn't look like she was to be messed with, and didn't seem like she'd hesitate.

Eyes still on the sisters, she jumped when she felt something land on her lap. She looked down and picked up the red rag at the same time somebody stopped in front of her, blocking out the sun. The redwing boots on the ground in front of her gave away who it was. She glanced up at him, not being able to see his face. The bright sun behind him simply giving his head an outline and blocked out details. He shoved a bottle of water into her shaking hands and gruffly told her that she looked like shit. Apocalypse compliments sucked.

Daryl sat down on the ground not to far away from her. She took a large gulp of the water before she wet the rag and started cleaning the blood off her arms and neck. Also blindly wiping her face, considering the fact that she didn't have a mirror.

He watched her grimace and shut her eyes as she scrubbed away the stubborn pieces of walker flesh. When she was done she looked up at him, like she was waiting for him to tell her if she'd gotten it all.

Pretty much with her permission, he let his eyes scan over her petite, slouching form.

She still had streaks of blood and chunks of flesh stuck in her raven hair. Maybe skull fragments too. He'd seen her staying close to her dad's side last night while he lead them to the RV, shooting the walkers in his path. Which also resulted in her getting hit with whatever exploded from their heads. Despite the shit in her hair, she'd pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail with a few strands left out, framing her face. It was only the second time he'd ever seen her with her hair up. The first had been that night on the highway, while Shane was rounding up the group to get them to the quarry. He distinctly remembered the hint of a tattoo creeping up the back of her neck, which he didn't understand one bit, since she didn't look a day over seventeen. But hell, he didn't know what the kid had been up to while daddy wasn't looking. He was actually tempted to lift her shirt so he could actually see what the fuck he was gettin' a peek at.

Her cobalt eyes were red rimmed as she looked at him expectantly. Fuckin' doe eyes made her look even younger.

Her nose was small and slightly upturned, with a tiny silver stud on the right side. He eyed her mouth as she pulled her full bottom lip between her teeth. She did that a lot, he'd noticed. Maybe when she was afraid or somethin'.

"Did I get it all?" Her voice was soft, but slightly husky too, making her sound older. She didn't talk a lot - Maybe that was why he hadn't noticed how much he actually liked her voice. She seemed to be trying too hard to sound like she was from the south though; drawing her words out, but it wasn't hard to tell that she didn't have the accent. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where she sounded like she came from.

Daryl nodded, and the corner of her mouth twitched upwards as she stood.

She rarely smiled too; not all that different from him in that department. Her smile lit up her whole face, even when she faked em, since he wasn't sure how many real ones he'd actually seen. He thought she was pretty in a way, but when she smiled she was fuckin' gorgeous. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud.

She wasn't a real peppy person, like that dead girl used to be. Amy. She was quiet; knew how to make herself invisible in a crowd. Her height probably gave her an advantage. The girl was fuckin' tiny..

"Thank you, Daryl." He heard her say as she dropped the rag in his lap this time, along with the bottle. He briefly wondered how his name would sound comin' from her lips in a _different_ situation...

Emma gave him a slight smile before she made her way to the RV, walking slowly to avoid startling Andrea. She saw Alex before she'd even stepped inside. He barely acknowledged her presence from his seat at the table; he hadn't spoken a word since the group had returned in the midst of the walker attack. She was actually starting to miss his voice.

"You alright?" She whispered, sliding onto the other seat across from him. Alex kept his head down, chin resting on his crossed arms while he simply shrugged.

"Leave your tongue in Atlanta, huh?" Lame joke. She wasn't good at getting people to talk when they were upset. "Did you let Rick check your arm?" She asked, letting her hand slide over his hand, happy when he didn't pull away. She still couldn't believe that he'd actually been shot in the city... She'd convinced him to take a gun, and then _this_ happened. But he came back alive. That was all that mattered. Right?

Emma sighed and got up before plopping down next to him this time, being mindful of his bandaged bicep as she laid her head on his shoulder. She still wasn't sure what was making him act this way; it could have been Amy's death. She knew he'd had kind of a crush on the pretty blonde. But it also could have been the gunshot. It probably hit a little too close to home for him... He hated guns for a reason.

"I miss you, Alex.." Emma mumbled against his shirt, and she felt, rather than heard him sigh.

" 'm here."

"No." She ran her hand through his hair, lightly scraping her nails against his scalp. "No you're not. But I'm not gonna pester you.." He looked at her then. His eyes were sad, and she couldn't stand it. "Just know I'm here when you wanna talk."

His eyes never left Emma as he watched her leave. He regretted it though, when he caught a glimpse of Amy's body laying outside in the dirt.

Emma stepped out of the RV and noticed the group had gathered near the fire pit. "No." Lori cut Daryl off. He'd been suggesting they shoot Amy from their spot. "Just let her be."

Everybody exchanged looks of understanding, and when Daryl realized they were agreeing with Lori, he just scoffed and walked off. All the men went back to taking care of the dead; damaging the brains so none of them would come back for round two.

Emma thought it was a little sexist that only the guys were doing that, and only the guys were to take watch and patrols. Not that she was really complaining about not being _'allowed'_ to shove axes into her group's skulls...

"We don't burn them!" She heard Glenn yelling at Daryl and Morales about them pulling a group members' body into the walker pile. His voice broke towards the end. "We bury them. Got it?" The two men shared an annoyed glance before they listened and started dragging the body to the opposite end of camp.

"Reep what you sow." Daryl commented, dropping the body with a heavy thud. "Y'all left my brother for dead! Had this coming!" He yelled, pointing at each and everyone of them before storming off.

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"I say we put a pickax in his head. The dead girl too. Be done with it." Daryl grumbled, staring at Jim with zero sign of remorse. At some point last night, the man had been bitten by a walker and somehow managed to hide it. Until Jacqui saw the blood, blowing his cover.

"That what you'd want?" Shane asked. "If it was you?"

" 'Course. And I'd thank ya will ya did it."

"Bullshit." Emma mumbled, only loud enough for Daryl to hear. If he was in Jim's place and they decided to kill him off without mercy, he sure as hell wouldn't be thrilled. He wouldn't be standing there all cocky like he was now.

"Maybe Daryl's right.." Dale said, stunning everybody.

"Jim isn't a monster, Dale." Rick snapped.

"I'm not suggesting-"

"He's a sick man. If we go down that road where do we draw the line?"

"I think the lines pretty clear.." Alex muttered. Nobody had heard him say more than one word besides Emma, so they were surprised to hear him speaking. He'd come out of the RV at some point during the commotion with Jim.

"Yeah." Daryl agreed. "No tolerance for walkers. Or them to-be."

"I heard the CDC was working on a cure." Rick grabbed their attention again. "What if we can get him help? What if the place is still up and running?" He sounded too hopeful for his own good.

Emma almost rolled her eyes. "Then this'd all be over by now. If they been workin' on a cure this long."

"If there's any government left, they'd protect the CDC at all costs. I think it's our best shot. Shelter.. Protection.." Rick started listing off. Emma personally thought it was a pipe dream, but those things sounded pretty damn good...

Shane put a hand on his friends' shoulder, stopping him from going on. "You want those things, Rick. I do too... Now if they exist, I think they're at the army base. Fort Benning."

"Complete opposite direction." Lori added.

"It's away from the hot zone. We'd be safe there.."

"The military is over run. We've all seen that! Jim's only chance is the CDC." Rick said, motioning to the sick man situated beside the RV.

"Y'all go lookin' for aspirin. Do wha' the fuck you want." Daryl started in the direction of the Winnebago, raising the pickax high above his head. "Somebody's gotta have the balls to take care of this damn problem!"

Before anybody else could react, Rick had already cocked his gun and was holding it to the back of Dixon's head. "We don't kill the livin'." He said steadily.

"Funny." Daryl lowered the weapon, turning around. "Says the man with a gun to my head." It was pretty ironic, and if he were saying as a joke, Emma probably would have laughed.

"We disagree on some things, but not this." Shane added, using his body to keep Daryl from even looking at Jim. "Put it down, man. G'wan."

Daryl huffed and practically threw the axe to the floor, like a stubborn child being told off. He waited for Rick to lower his gun before he stormed away. He seemed to be trying to get on everybody's bad side that day, and it was working.

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Emma's hands froze where they'd been busy changing Alex's bandage. Her gaze had drifted in the direction of the RV, and she could have sworn she'd seen Amy... _move_.

She shook her head and went back to wrapping his arm, sending the occasional glance back at the sisters.

But the third time she looked over, Amy, or what used to be Amy, sure as hell moved. There was no denying that the girl was sitting up, arms jerking, and lowly growling. Andrea was speaking quietly to her, too quiet for anybody else to hear. While at the same time, keeping her not-so-dead sister from trying to bite her.

It had finally happened.. Amy turned.

The situation soon caught everyone's attention, and they started inching closer to the two, hands going for their weapons but no one intervened yet. Andrea continued to whisper to her sister, right until the moment Amy's teeth were about to sink in, before she finally pulled the trigger.

The shot startled everybody, even though they were expecting it, but Alex shot straight to his feet and actually started backing away.

"Alex, it's okay." She tried to reassure him, putting her hand on his forearm but he jerked away from her and stormed off, disappearing into the woods. Of course she followed after him.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, jogging to catch up with him.

"What isn't!" He yelled, whirling around to face her and throwing his hands up in the air.

She stopped just a few feet ahead of him and frowned. "It was just one shot. You're fine.."

Alex closed the short distance between them, their boots brushing against the others. "I'm fuckin' sick of ya followin' me around, Mal. Askin' all these questions. The hell do you want from me?" He spat, fuming.

"I'm just watching out for you.." She practically whispered, taking half a step away from him.

"I ain't none of yer concern." He growled, jabbing her shoulder with his finger while stepping closer to her than before. He couldn't miss the way she flinched, but she didn't move away.

Emma felt her eyes sting with ushered tears, but she held them back. "That how you see it?" She hated that her voice wavered. They'd had this fight a hundred times already, but it still always scared her when he got this upset and angry.

"Don't need a little kid lookin' after me." _Well that's new.._ "Just leave me be!"

She drew in a shaky breath before she nodded. He seemed satisfied, and grunted something she didn't quite hear before storming off, deeper into the brush.

Only when she couldn't see him anymore did she start walking back to camp. He just needed time, she kept telling herself. All these guns around camp probably frightened him a little.. Kept him on his toes. He'd need to get over his fear and adjust, though. Guns could mean death on any day, but now they were vital for the camp's safety.

Caught up in her own thoughts again, she didn't hear the leaves crunching under heavy boots. Didn't realize she wasn't alone, until she rounded a tree and collided with something hard. She almost screamed, until she recognized the piercing blue eyes staring back at her.

"Can't watch where yer goin'? Daryl grunted. She was about reply, but the words caught in her throat when she finally caught up with the situation, and realized where his hands were.

Right before impact, he must have held his hands out in front of him to minimize the blow, and somehow his hands ended up on her chest. Not exactly groping, like it would have been if he knew he was doing it, but it was still there nonetheless.

Thankfully he seemed to catch on by himself and jerked his hands away as if she'd burnt him.

Their faces turned crimson simultaneously and both mumbled a quick apology. Emma was the first to walk away, holding her cold hands to her burning cheeks and mentally denying herself the fact that she kinda liked his hands on her.

Images of the dream flashed through her mind from the fairly _intimate_ touch, but she tried to dismiss it. Tried, being the keyword.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed! Really hoping to hear some feedback from y'all on this one. It really is extremely motivating to hear what you think, liked, and god-forbid, even disliked. Don't be afraid to tell me what I can do better at, or mention something more you'd like to see happening! :)**


	14. Problem Child

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Fourteen: "Problem Child"**

**Special thanks to:: enchantmentanjel, gagesmith450, ambrosesdixon, LuciansLycanNightShade, Caity6991, Stark-ingMad, Kyokkou & hayleyjune13 !**

**[A/N: any large piece of italic text between #'s are flashbacks/memories! If it's italics without the #, then it's just a dream.]**

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_#####_

_Emma slid her shoulder against the wall as she tiptoed down the steps. Her bloody sneakers squeaked against the wood, but her dad was yelling so loud that he probably wouldn't hear her._

_"She's nothin' but trouble, Rick! I dunno if I can fuckin' deal with that.."_

_She ignored the protest in her aching muscles and crouched down beside the sofa, against the wall. The last remaining barrier between Shane and his hateful comments. The blood coating her knees smeared onto the carpet below, but her ten year-old self couldn't care less._

_"Just calm down." She heard Rick's soothing voice. "She's only been here for three days. Give her time..."_

_"Exactly!" Shane screamed. She could hear him pacing around in the kitchen. His heavy boots smacking against the floor. "Three days and she's already put a girl in fuckin' hospital!"_

_Tears slipped down her cheeks, breaking a path through the dirt as she recalled what had happened today. Not even an hour into the day had that girl started picking on her. Was she supposed to be punished for fighting back?_

_"-if this is her way of adjusting, I have half a mind to send her back where she came from!" Emma cringed at his words. He wouldn't, would he?_

_"I'm willin' to bet money that it's not her fault." Rick commented, and she was ready to burst in there and explain the whole thing over. But Shane would probably just slam a door in her face, again. _

_"I'm not willin' to put up with this, brother. I can't." Shane's voice was softer this time. Even breaking towards the end._

_"I can't see you sending her away again. She's been through too much, an' you know it." _

_Shane laughed bitterly. "And I wonder why." There was a beat before she heard his heavy footfalls again, and his voice lowered as he said, "That child makes the devil himself look like a fuckin' saint."_

_#####_

"Knock knock.."

Emma barely glanced up at the entrance of the tent before she went back to shoving her clothes in a duffel. She wiped away the tears, but she didn't even bother pretending like she hadn't been crying, knowing he'd seen it.

"You alright?" Shane asked, ducking inside and dropping to one knee in front of her.

" 'm fine.." She shrugged, still not looking at him.

"You don't look it." He commented, eyeing her blotchy red cheeks and trembling shoulders.

"Since when is anybody cheery after a funeral?"

"Fair enough." He smiled at her and moved over to start rolling up her sleeping bag and fold the cot. After the service, he and Rick had told the group the plan they'd discussed. Everybody would leave for the CDC first thing tomorrow. Emma was gonna sleep in his tent tonight, so they'd have one less tent to collapse before they could get going. A lot of people were bunking with others that night for the same reason. "Why'd I get the feeling yer not happy with the decision?"

"I'd feel a lot safer surrounded by the military than a bunch of doctors and scientists." She admitted. "I'd rather we be headed to Fort Benning."

"Me too.. If that whole 'safety in numbers' thing was a load of bullshit, I'd ditch the group and take us there." He glanced up at her face, not surprised when her expression told him she didn't believe that. He may have been out of her life more than he was in it, but her safety was still the most important thing to him now. He tucked the bag under his arm and carried the cot with the other as he started to leave. She looked up when he stopped just outside the tent and turned to her. "Where's Alex?" He looked over his shoulder, as if the boy would suddenly appear.

"Just took a walk." She lied. "He'll be back soon..."

"Is he comin' with the group?"

That question hit her harder than she thought it would. It hadn't even crossed her mind that he may not be back in time to leave with everybody... Shane took her silence as an answer and left to drop her stuff off in his tent while she started taking hers down.

Emma forced herself to her feet, trying her best to ignore the sharp pains in her abdomen. The literal run-in with Daryl had done more bad than good, and her stitches had ripped. Alex wasn't here to redo them, so all she could do was wrap herself up like a mummy to stop the bleeding and hope he could get over himself long enough to help a girl out.

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The next morning everybody was up fairly early. The sun was high in the sky; it was already noon, but they had yet to leave. It had taken longer than anyone hoped to get the camp loaded up and ready to head out.

Emma finished up all her packing over three hours ago, and was now just sitting on the hood of Shane's jeep, watching everybody bustle around to get everything done. At this pace though, they could end up leaving tomorrow. She wasn't sure what the delay was, but she was happy for it.

She was only half listening as Shane explained to the group about the CB's, how to stop the caravan and so on. "Any questions?"

"We're uhh.." Morales started, bringing all eyes to him. "We're not going." Everybody frowned, and a few even gasped at their decision. "We have family in Birmingham. We wanna be with our people."

"Man, are you sure?"

"I gotta do what's best for _my_ family." Morales said when Shane pointed out they would have no one there to watch their backs. Emma kept her attention on the woods as the group said their goodbyes to the family. She didn't know them well, but she still offered a small smile and a "Be safe." to Morales when he came up to her. Shane handed him a gun, and a half-filled box of bullets, before they took off.

"We all ready to go?" Shane asked the group, his eyes scanning over all of them before they landed on her, and his shoulders slumped slightly when she shook her head.

"I'm not going." She announced awkwardly, keeping her head down. Alex hadn't returned and she'd already informed her dad last night that she would not step foot out of this camp without her friend... her brother.

"You're insane." Lori blurted out. "Of course you're coming."

Emma understood that she sounded like kind of a nutcase at this point, but she had her reasons. And hell, if Shane Walsh could respect her decision then it shouldn't be hard to convince everyone else.

"Alex isn't back yet. I'm not leaving without him." She told them. "I'll wait as long as I can. Then I'll catch up with you guys... later."

A lot of people still shook their heads. "I don't like it.." Rick said, trying to catch her eyes but she wouldn't let him.

She just had this gut feeling that Alex was on his way... He didn't know the plan. If he came back later and nobody was here, he wouldn't know where to meet up. Emma couldn't even imagine how awful it would be to come back to your people, only to find that they'd left you behind.

"We can leave him a note..." Glenn offered. "Let him know where we're going?"

Emma shook her head. She wouldn't be able to take the waiting... Not knowing if he'd seen the letter or anything. That anticipation could kill her slowly. She listened respectfully to the rest of the group's ideas on the situation though, but none of them were full proof. None besides waiting here appealed to her, and even that was a stretch.

"Two hours. No more than that." Shane said, walking towards her and holding up a watch. She was about to reach out and take it, when his hand went over her shoulder. Her gaze followed the appendage, and met blue.

Those fucking eyes were everywhere.

"What's _this_?" Emma asked, jumping down from the hood. The words were directed at her dad, but she turned to face Daryl. His face remained blank as his gaze shifted between the two, chewing on his thumbnail.

"He offered to stay with you." Shane said with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Oh.." She replied dryly. **He** was fucking everywhere.

"Let's move out!" Shane announced. He gave her a brief hug and reminded her about the time allowed before the group left. Rick lead the caravan in Carol's car, then the RV, Shane's jeep and finally T-dog's church van.

When she spun around, he was nowhere to be seen. Damn redneck probably seen it fit to go hunting.

Emma sighed and walked over to Daryl's truck, sliding down the door to sit on the ground in the shade it provided. She tried not to put anymore strain on her stitches but it didn't work; they tugged sharply at her skin and she quickly felt the blood running down her stomach. She crossed her arms over the stinging area, playing it cool whilst putting pressure on the wound.

She looked up from the blood seeping through the material and saw Daryl walking out of the woods, hands on his belt and crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"Where'd you go?" She asked, and he grunted something along the lines of 'had to take a piss'. He continued towards her, but stopped short when he noticed her pained expression. She was unsuccessfully trying to pass it off as a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"Yer bleedin'." He observed, and she tensed when he grasped the strap of his bow and took the weapon into his hands.

"Whoa there buddy. I'm not bit.." She tried to say steadily, holding up her hands. Her palms were coated with blood, making it harder to believe her.

"Prove it." He ordered, lazily aiming at her chest. Emma forced herself to her feet, but shook her head despite him walking closer.

"I can't.." _I won't._

"That's why ye stayed behind." He said slowly, acting like he had it all figured out. "To turn when people ain't around."

"N-no." She stuttered. "I stayed to wait for Alex, I swear. It wasn't a walker."

"Then show me."

"I can't." She repeated, more firmly this time but it didn't stop him. "I don't even have a fever."

"Means nothin'. Ain't nobody know yer hurt. So why'd ye hide it?" It sounded like he was starting to believe her, but she couldn't be sure.

_Same reason I won't show you._ "Didn't want anyone to worry."

"Bullshit." He noticed her eyes darting around; looking for a way out. Definitely hidin' something.

"Don't believe me, whatever. But I'm not showing you." Emma said, crossing her arms over her chest despite it showing off the bloody shirt. "I wouldn't let myself turn and hurt somebody."

They stared at each other for at least five minutes before Daryl nodded. He bit down on the inside of his cheek and hesitantly walked towards her. She flinched when he raised his hand, but relaxed when he only brought it to her forehead. Her skin was hot from the sun's heat, not from a fever. He believed her for now.

"If it ain't a bite, what is it?"

"I cut myself on a fence in Atlanta. Stitches ripped yesterday when I ran into you in the woods.." She blushed slightly at the memory regardless of the pain she was feeling at the moment. If the light pink tint of his cheeks were any indication, he was remembering the exact same part of that encounter.

"I'd offer ta restitch 'em, but.."

Emma nodded and slowly lowered herself to the dirt again. "I'm fine.." She mumbled. "Handled a full-grown man's fist to the face, I can handle a couple stitches rippin'."

Daryl scoffed and stood over her, digging around in his truck bed. "Still wanted ta kick his ass fer that." He pulled out a shirt from his bag and handed it to her. She followed his instructions and pressed the material to her torso, keeping pressure on the wound.

"Nah, don't worry about that. My face is kind of a fist magnet.. 's nothing new."

"Wha', get in alotta cat fights in school or somethin'?" He slid down and sat beside her, still keeping some distance.

"Yeah, somethin' like that." She mumbled, only one memory popping into her head at what he said. "Wanna play cards? It'll pass the time."

Daryl scoffed but gave her a slight nod. "Fine."

"That's too bad.." Emma drew her knees up. "I don't have any cards."

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**Question: I've already written a lot of the next chapter, and I just wanted to ask for your opinion. Do you think Daryl should see the scars already? I've got a piece down where he does see them, but I'm not sure if it's too soon for that. Please lemme know! :)**


	15. Easy Does It

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Fifteen: "Easy Does It"**

**Special thanks to:: EternallyMade, Team-GTS, Purple Dragon Ranger, enchantmentanjel, KairiAnneYukari21, ForgottenGrumpyWolf, tacosbeans, AnikaHerondale, MewMewAnimeFreak, Poshy, i'm not the only one & GuardianAngel45 ! :))**

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"This is not happening." She panted, shifting slightly as something dug into her spine. "Jesus, you're heavy."

"Shuddup." Daryl growled in a harsh whisper from above her, his breath hot against her cheek. "Wanna die t'day or somethin'?"

"Are there really walkers or was that just an excuse to get me pinned down in your truck?!" She snapped, pushing at his chest again but the guy wouldn't budge.

They'd been laying here for at least ten minutes now. Across the cab, with Daryl's crushing her and their legs awkwardly bent and tangled in order for them to fit. And if the blistering heat of his truck wasn't enough, he'd thrown a thick, heavy blanket over their bodies to conceal them in case any corpses decided to peer through the windows.

"Why can't we just kill em'?" Emma asked, staring up at him as if he were stupid.

" 's too many. Now be quiet." He grunted. She was about to call bullshit on the situation, but then she heard the familiar groan and shuffle, signaling that he was in fact telling the truth. The sounds were loud through the metal of the truck, and over their combined heavy panting. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and her fear was mirrored in his own.

He's gone completely rigid above her, but not before forcing her legs to part so he could fit against her body better. A small part of her had hoped the whole thing was a joke; his dumb way of trying to get into her pants.

"So we just lay here?" She whispered. Each thud of a body hitting the vehicle had her tightening her legs around his hips involuntarily.

"Come up with a better plan. I fuckin' dare ya!" He snapped, tightening his fists around the end of the blanket behind her head. All it would take was one slip of their cover, and the walkers outside would see them. Then they'd be done for.

"You don't have to be a dick about it!" She retorted. They went quiet again for a few minutes.. It could have been an hour, she wasn't sure.

She shifted again when his weight actually started hurting her, combined with whatever the hell was on the seat below her and digging into her back while his body dug into hers. She moved from one side to the next, small movements so not to move the blanket too much but still trying to ease the pain.

"Told ye to stop moving!" He snapped suddenly, making her freeze.

"I'm sorry, but you're hurting me." She whispered. "And what the hell is in your pocket?" She moved her hips, feeling something hard against her thigh.

"Ain't nothin' in my pocket 'nd I don't wanna hear 'bout it again!" He hissed, pushing his weight even more into her to get her to stop moving. It only served to make her cry out as he pressed down onto her stitches. His hand slapped over her mouth and they both stilled, listening hard.

Emma jumped when she heard a relatively large bump on the door, and the truck shook. She jerked his hand away from her mouth, but didn't let it go. "Are they tryna get in?"

"Dunno." He grunted, his words coming out strained when she wiggled against him again. "I said stop!"

"What is that?!" She snapped again, and whatever it was jerked against her. Realization finally set in, hitting her like a cold blast of air in the boiling space, and she almost felt like curling in on herself right then. It was too high on her thigh to possibly be anything in his pocket. "Oh..." Her face burst into a bright blush that Daryl knew immediately had nothing to do with the heat.

"Ain't you. Cause of the situation!" He seemed to rush to get the words out.

Emma scoffed. "Oh, so life or death situations turn you on? You really have no self-control."

"I told you to hold still!" Daryl snarled. "The hell you thinks gonna happen when ya start that shit?" He'd moved his face right against hers, their noses touching. "Ain't causa you." He repeated, like it would get his point across.

She rolled her eyes and adjusted her pelvis, trying to get away from his lower half but instead she came into direct contact with the bulge. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and clenched his jaw, hand shooting down to grab her hip and keep her still. "Stop it! Right fuckin' now!" It was Emma's turn to gasp when he shifted just enough, bringing him pressing right into the center of her.

"You did that on purpose!" She accused, smacking his shoulder and making him glare down at her.

"Quit yer movin'!"

"Stop pushing it into me!" More of her fuckin' wiggling shot a sensation through his body so hard that Daryl jerked and he shot to his knees as fast as he could. The blanket flew from their bodies, making her squeeze her eyes shut at the sunlight filling into the truck.

When she opened them again, Daryl was pointing at her with his jaw set. "Yer lucky they're gone." He gestured outside, where no walkers could be seen.

"You're the one who blew our cover." Emma grumbled, sitting up slightly and leaning her back against the door. She relished in the fact that she didn't have a fucking buffalo holding her down anymore.

She wanted to laugh when she realized Daryl was using the blanket to cover his crotch, but thought better of it when he continued to glare at her and also not-so-subtly adjusted his hard on. "It wasn't causa you." He growled again. The fact that he kept bringing it up was making it harder for her to believe him. "Yer fuckin' fault." He muttered under his breath as he jerked the door open, letting the cool breeze filter in.

Emma shot him a glare. "How can you blame me for this?"

"Blood's probably wha' attracted 'em." He motioned to all the blood coating her shirt, and even the waistband of her jeans were stained with red.

"You're the one who ripped them open!" She almost yelled, pushing herself to her knees and mimicking his position.

"Couldn't watch where ya were goin', ain't my fault you ran into me. Be fuckin' grateful it was me instead of a walker!"

"Grateful? Are you kidding me?"

"Naw I ain't. Yer stubborn ass is the reason we coulda died! Dunno why ya can't just let me help you!"

"I don't need your help!" Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her anger told her to lunge at him, but the annoying voice inside her head kept her from doing so.

Daryl huffed his breath out in annoyance and jumped out of the truck. "Stay here." He ordered and grabbed his crossbow from the floor. In his rush to get them hidden, he'd dropped it in the dirt.

Emma glared at his back until he disappeared into the trees, probably to check if there were anymore walkers in the immediate area. He was being a dick so of course she wasn't gonna listen.

She clambered out and made her way across to Alex's truck. Emma crawled inside and immediately grabbed her own backpack from the corner. The rest of her stuff was with Shane, but for at least three years now she'd kept a change of clothes in here. Due to Alex's sporadic camping trips, she'd always kept at least three sets of clean clothes at the ready, and right now she was thankful for her 'obsessive planning ahead' trait and Alex's lack there-of.

What she was wearing was beyond ruined, and she couldn't very well waltz back up to the group with them on. She peeled off the bloody shirt and tossed it outside. She'd bury it later, so Dixon wouldn't be able to blame her if anymore walkers came by for a visit.

Emma scoffed as his name rung out in her head. Asshole. He was looking for a rise out of her, but she wouldn't let him get to her over something that meant nothing. His accusation was dead wrong in her mind.

As she dug around in Alex's backpack, the one filled with various supplies he'd gathered from multiple first aid kits, she realized that they were running low.. She could only hope that she wouldn't get hurt again, and that Alex would be alright if he came back.

...when he came back.

She kept her eyes on the woods through the window while she clipped away the old stitches, cleaned the blood from her stomach and started to re-wrap her torso.

"Need some help?"

Emma hummed noncommittally before she even realized the wasn't imagining the voice. Her eyes widened as she looked up. She tried not to glare at the face grinning back at her.

"You son of a bitch!" It started out as a whisper but she ended up yelling as loud as she could. Her hand shot out and grabbed the first thing she touched before flinging it at his head. Of course it had to be a fucking pillow.

Alex ducked reflexively to one side, completely expecting the outburst. What he hadn't anticipated was for her to lunge at him in nothing more than a bloody pair of jeans and her bra.

Her body collided hard with his, knocking them both to the dirt where they rolled some before she ended up above him. She rained punches down on his arms and chest, and he just lay there, letting her exhaust herself. She was crying hard now.

"You fucking idiot! How goddamn stupid can you be!" She punctuated each word with another hit, and finally he had to grab her wrists.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He said loud enough to be heard over her panting and sniffling. "Didn't mean to stay away-" Emma immediately cut him off, jerking her hands from his grasp and taking a hard swing at his face. He didn't even flinch. He knew deserved it.

"You were gonna leave me." She said steadily, despite the tears streaming down her cheeks. He recognized the abandonment in her voice, and he hated that he'd done it to her.

Alex sat up and tried to wrap his arms around her but she shoved his chest hard and crawled back, stumbling away from him blindly. "What the hell was that?" She choked out, eyeing him through her blurry vision.

"Just... needed to think.." He muttered, wiping the blood running from his mouth. He definitely fucking deserved it.

"About what? The hell do you needa think about for that long?" She staggered to her feet, and held out her hand to him in spite of her anger.

When all he did was shift his weight from one foot to the other and avoid her gaze instead of answering her, she whacked his shoulder again.

"Oi, you had yer chance ta hit me. 's over now, alright?" He scolded.

"I'll stop hitting you when I get over the fact that you've been MIA for the last twenty-four hours." She said with mock enthusiasm.

"Fair enough."

"This mean we get to leave now?" She spun around at Daryl's voice. He was now casually sitting on the open tailgate and watching the two warily.

Emma surprised Daryl by instead of immediately covering her barely clothed breasts, she chose to hide her exposed midriff. He understood why now though, after getting an eyeful of the thick welts and scars marring her back.

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"I ain't gonna ask.." Daryl said when he noticed her sneaking glances at him every now and then. It was unnerving to see her acting like this, after he'd seen what he wasn't supposed to. But he could tolerate it, just from his own experiences.

"You aren't?" Emma inquired, sitting up straighter in her seat. She'd surprised both Daryl, and herself when she'd chosen to drive with him instead of Alex. She didn't quite trust herself not to murder Alex over the worry and stress he'd put her through.

"Naw." Daryl offered a ghost of a smile. "So if that's what had ya worried, stop it."

He definitely wanted to ask. But he knew that she didn't want that at all... He tried to ignore the way his anger spiked everytime he looked at her now, seeing her hurt expression. A part of him knew that he shouldn't give a shit, cause he didn't know her. And despite that fact, he still wanted to go Dixon on the motherfuckers ass that had done that to her. They were old, he could tell. She'd been just a kid...

"Alright.. Maybe just one question." He couldn't help himself. Daryl said it so softly, he wondered if she'd heard him. If she didn't, he was sure as hell gonna let it go.

Emma sighed heavily. "Promise?"

"Yeah. I promise."

"Okay. What is it?"

Daryl hesitated for a few minutes, and she wondered if he was even gonna ask her something anymore. She turned slightly when he gave her a hard look. "Yer daddy do it?"

The question actually caught her off guard, and for a moment she forgot she was supposed to answer it. "No.." She said slowly.

"Yer mama?"

She answered that one a lot faster with a violent shake of her head. Daryl stared at her for a few seconds, almost dismissing the fact that he was driving.

"M'kay.. I'm done." He didn't sound too satisfied, but she barely noticed. She thought that maybe he was just still mad at her for the whole truck incident earlier.

Emma relaxed and sank further into the seat almost immediately, going back to picking at a gash in the leather of it. Another one sat just a little away.. The truck was definitely old. It was dirty, stained and reeked of smoke, stale beer and dust. The windows were so filthy that she could barely see out of them, and the steering wheel had definitely seen better days. The seats were cracked, torn and faded. Just ugly. And the exterior was no prize either...

"Piece o' shit huh?" Daryl distracted her from her observation with what was probably a lame attempt at a joke. Emma only hummed her response, trying to roll down the window but the handle snapped off as soon as she touched it, falling to the truck floor.

She could have sworn she heard him laughing as she tried to stick it back in place. "I'm sorry.." She mumbled, giving him an apologetic look.

" 's okay.. Been broken fer years."

_**Me too.**_

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**[A/N: The feedback this story is starting to get is really blowing me away! Stoked that you guys are liking it. Thanks very much for everybody's input on the whole scar thing, it really helped!**

**In response to:: i'm not the only one - I know the way I revealed it to him was kinda boring, but the whole yanking up the shirt thing is just too much of a cliche for me to use it. I hope this sufficed though! :) ]**


	16. Welcome To Hell

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Sixteen: "Welcome To Hell"**

**Special Thanks to:: CollarFive, enchantmentanjel, okgurl87, Guest, AnikaHerondale, greenwolvie, Guess Who, Lexi02, hayleyjune13, Charlie2193, Nocturnal Lane, ambrosesdixon & Reshea !**

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><p><strong>The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, <strong>

**and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.**

**H****.P Lovecraft**

"C'mon, wake up girl." Daryl shook her shoulder gently but she just mumbled something and curled away from him, pressing herself closer to the door. "Hey, we're here. Get up."

She'd fallen asleep some time after meeting up with the rest of the group on the side of a road. They'd just finished fixing up the RV, and were in the middle of saying goodbye to poor Jim. The man was beyond saving, and he seemed to have accepted that for himself aswell.

At his words she slowly cracked her eyes open, only to shoot up straight in her seat when she caught a glimpse of outside. "Jesus..."

Daryl readied both his crossbow and rifle before he got out of the truck. "Can say that again."

She did.

As soon as Emma pushed the door open, the stomach churning redolence of rot wafed in. She wasn't even near a body yet, and she could already hear the flies. So many of them buzzing around the corpses.

Emma gripped her gun tight in one hand, and used the other to cover her nose. Despite the fact that she was breathing through her mouth, the putrid smell caused her eyes water, making her vision blurry as she and Daryl jogged to catch up to the others.

A steel, roll down security gate was the last remaining barrier that kept everybody from what they hoped would be protection. They watched as Rick and Shane tried to lift the heavy doors, but nothing would work. That was when panic quickly set in.

"Walkers!" Daryl yelled from somewhere behind her. She spun around, gun raised at the geeks. Most of them had been on the ground, 'playing dead', but as soon as they realized their next meal was near by they started shuffling over to the group.

Daryl quickly took the nearest one out with a bolt before he spun around, storming over to Rick. "You lead us into a graveyard!"

"He made a call!"

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl spat, still charging forward but Shane pushed him away before he could get to Rick.

"Shut up! Y'hear me, shut up!"

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol voiced everybody's concern, practically in tears. "Can't be this close to the city after dark!"

"Fort Benning is still an option, right?" Emma reminded everyone, her legs moving her closer to Shane to their own accord. It felt like the time her dad had taken her to her first day of school when she moved back to Georgia. Only now, all the popular kids picking on her were instead corpses trying to kill her. But she was still just as nervous nonetheless.

"On what? No food. No fuel." Lori said, clinging to Carl as he sobbed against her stomach.

"This your big idea?" Alex said to Rick, frustration rising. "There's no one here!"

"There's a way in." Rick argued, studying the gate. "There has to be..." Most of them ignored him, and started going back to the cars, but he stopped them again. "The camera moved!"

"It couldn't have..." Emma told him, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him back but he wouldn't budge.

"You imagined it." Dale said, though he was watching the camera like he was waiting for it to happen again.

"I saw it!" Rick shook her off and started forward, banging on the gate. Shane pushed her aside, back to where the group gathered and grabbed Rick himself, trying to talk some sense into him in a hushed tone so she couldn't make out what he was saying.

Emma felt her chest constrict as she listened to Rick's pleas to the camera. The desperation in his voice was scaring her more than the walkers surrounding them.

"We have to go, brother." That time she heard what her dad was saying.

Before Rick could make his decision, the metal gate suddenly retracted with an ear-piercing screech and a flash of white light spilled out, blinding them.

The entire group stood stock-still in their spots, almost forgetting that they were still in danger. Rick was the first to move forward, and everybody followed suit. Emma immediately relished in the feeling of the cool, odorless air that stood in stark contrast to the suffocating, putrid atmosphere heavy with death that they'd left outside.

A part of her thought she was imagining the whole thing. The marble floors were polished and perfect. The enormous foyer's high ceiling was intimidating, but still too good. _Too good to be true._

The now-familar metallic noise of a gun cocking echoed in the room, followed by several others as the group became aware that it wasn't them. That they weren't alone at the moment.

"Why are you here?" They heard the voice before they saw him. A tall man emerged from the shadows, a huge gun in his hands. "What do you want?"

"A chance." Rick spoke for them all, stepping slightly ahead of the rest of them and partially in front of his wife and son. Shane did the same for Emma, surprising her to no end.

"That's asking a lot these days." The man replied, stepping further into the dim light, but it was enough for them to see him better. He was wearing just a shirt and jeans; no uniform for them to identify his position here.

"We'll die out there." Rick put the situation into it's starkest terms. "Please.."

The man remained silent for a minute, surveying the group. "You'll all submit to a blood test as price of admission." As soon as Rick agreed, he lowered his gun and so did everybody else. The man quickly instructed them to get their things, because he wouldn't be opening those doors again. For some reason, the way he said it sent chills down her spine.

Rick, Shane and Glenn quickly ran outside to grab everyone's things while T-dog and Daryl guarded the door.

Emma jumped when she felt something sliding along the small of her back, but relaxed instantly when Alex came up beside her. She felt eyes on her as it happened, but didn't need to look to hard to find them. _The eyes that were everywhere._

She offered Daryl a small smile but he avoided her gaze and went back to watching for walkers outside. She frowned, but tried to ignore his strange behavior and buried her face in Alex's chest. She still felt the urge to hit him, but she could suppress it for now.

"VI, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here." The man said into a pad on the wall once everybody returned, before they were ushered into an elevator. It was a tight fit with fifteen people cramped inside but they seemed to manage.

Emma was once again pushed right up against Daryl. _The universe needs a new fuckin' gimmick of getting us to touch or some shit_, Daryl thought grumpily, leaning against the wall behind him. _This one's gettin' old._

Her ass was pressed firmly against his crotch. Maybe she realized it, or maybe she didn't but the fact that she was bouncing slightly on her feet made him seriously doubt that she was clueless about the whole thing. As soon as she felt his hand roughly grab her hip, she stilled, not wanting a repeat of the truck incident. _Not entirely.._

Daryl glared at the back of her head when she shifted, but then realized she was only trying to move forward. He let her go when he was sure she wouldn't start that shit again.

He watched her pull her pony tail over one shoulder, and he was finally able to get a clearer picture of her tattoo. At least a little bit of it.

Earlier when she didn't have a shirt on, he'd seen it. More focused on the scars, however, he'd noticed. But from that distance it just looked like big spots of black surrounding bold letters and then going up her neck. He hadn't been able to read the words, but atleast now he could see that the splotches were birds. Tiny little things that looked like they were flying across her skin. All from different angles of flight; all different from what he could see. Now he just wanted to know what the hell it said; what was so special to her that she had to have it permanently etched into her flesh.

"Doctors always go 'round packin' heat like that?" Daryl commented to distract himself, eyeing the doctor's weapon of choice.

The man, now known as Edwin Jenner glanced casually over his shoulder. "There were plenty lying around. I familiarized myself." He deadpanned. "But you look harmless enough." He looked down at Carl and Sophia. "Except you two..I'll have to keep my eye on you."

The children giggled when he smiled. Maybe the guy wasn't so bad.. Creepy looking, but maybe that was just because she hated doctors so much.

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><p>After Jenner took their blood, he left them for only fifteen minutes before he returned and informed them that their blood was clean and they were allowed to stay. He ushered them back into the elevators, taking them even lower down.<p>

"VI, bring up the lights in the big room." Jenner announced, and a bright bluish glow illuminated the place. "Welcome to zone five."

Everybody followed behind him, looking around curiously. Emma couldn't help but notice how abandoned the place seemed to be. The place was lit up brightly, and the white was nearly blinding. But the absence of other people was shocking. Even slightly disturbing.

"Where is everybody?" She wondered out loud, her eyes snapping to every inch of the large room. There were wall to wall computers and monitoring stations with seats facing a giant screen.

"Gone."

The man said it so simply; it almost sounded like he was joking. But even his gulp echoed in the empty room. There were several simultaneous squeaks of shoes skidding across the floors as everybody came to an abrupt halt, eyes growing wide.

"No, seriously. Where are they?" Emma asked him with a sarcastic, breathy laugh, expression closer to somber than anything else despite the shocking revelation.

"I'm all that's left... They're gone." Jenner repeated himself, finally turning around to face them.

"What happened?" Rick inquired, stepping forward. "How can they just be gone?"

"VI. The woman you were speaking to. What about her?" Lori added.

Jenner quickly introduced them to the CDC's computer system, and as soon as a voice came back to greet them in return, they realized that it was obviously robotic. That little fact dampened the mood even further. But the man was brisk to let it rise again as he lead them down a dimly lit hallway to the living quarters. As soon as he mentioned something regarding hot water, and that they'd be allowed to prepare a meal later on, everybody was grinning ear to ear and eagerly selecting out their rooms.

The group hurried into their own nook for the night, and Emma was eventually standing alone in the hallway. Alex had pretty much slammed the door in her face as soon as she showed any interest in bunking with him, so she knew there was no chance of her getting in there - he seemed to be slugging back to his loner self.

There were only seven rooms available. Andrea and Dale in one, T-dog and Glenn bunked. Carol, Jacqui and Sophia took the next, and of course the Grimes' were all together. That left only two options now, and she sure as hell wasn't prepared to share a room with her dad. He used to keep her awake at night with his snoring, even when they were on complete opposite sides of the house. Now imagine sleeping right next to him. So that sure as hell wasn't gonna happen...

Soon she found herself swaying on her feet at lucky door number seven, hand raised to knock. Daryl was probably so sick of being around her by now. He was gonna say no. Or simply slam the door. Or blame her for something that wasn't her fault, or- whoa... Since when did she care about whether or not she'd be bothering Dixon? _You know why_, said the little voice inside her head and she inwardly groaned.

Her knuckles were about to make contact with wood when she finally made up her mind. She'd rather beg Alex to let her in if she had to.

But before she could walk away the door swung open, and she froze. _Shit._

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><p><strong>[Question: How many of you want something to happen between Emma and Daryl at the CDC? I'm getting hit with a lot of cliches but the CDC can just work out for so many reasons. I have a friend who told me not to do anything, but she's not actually a Walking Dead fan (bless her little heart), so I really need your opinion on this.]<strong>


	17. Scars

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Seventeen: "Scars"**

**Special Thanks To:: Nanna(Guest), blackcat711, KairiAnneYukari21, enchantmentanjel, Aliced821, TK(Guest), LadyMalfoySnape, m0nalisat0ldalie88, schattenbinder, ALRose, thegirlwhowaited6, hikari-hime 01, Psycho-Jellybean, Sin and Virtue, BlueEyedSalvatore, That Legend Died, Audriss, syislame, GettingLostInABook, Avloth, NightStalkerblade & BeckithaAiken :D **

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><p>"Whaddaya want?" Daryl griped, giving her a hard look that pinned her in place. There was no walking away now.<p>

"Well uh.. I just. I-" she stuttered, shifting her weight from one foot to the other under his scrutinizing gaze.

He sighed heavily and leaned further against the door frame. "Yeah?" Maybe if she could have looked up from the floor long enough to notice his amused expression, she wouldn't have felt so panicky - Like she had to choose her words really carefully.

"All the rooms are taken..-"

"And?"

Emma bit her lip, thinking hard. "Could I share with you?" She forced the words out in a rush, finally looking up at him. Daryl wiped the smirk from his face just in time and stepped aside despite himself, letting her skirt passed him.

He couldn't help put peek out of his room to check if anybody had seen her come in. He didn't need anyone thinkin' there was something going on between them; especially her dumbass daddy and that stupid friend 'a hers. What was his name.. Allen? Albert? Fuck, it didn't matter anyhow. The guy was one step away from goin' off the deep end, not that anybody else seemed to notice though. Shane wasn't too far behind, either. Poor girl was stuck with two crazies.

After being sure nobody had seen her, he quickly shut the door. He may have looked to be okay with it on the outside, for her sake, but there were way too many questions whirling around in his head for him to be relaxed about the idea. Why had she chosen him? She had her friend, her dad and even that other cop - Rick. Hell, she could have even roomed with the chink. They seemed pretty close, and yet she picked _him_.

"Uh, I can take the couch." He said, noticing she'd tossed her backpack on the sofa. He'd already placed his stuff on the bed when he came in, so she probably assumed it was her only option.

"That's okay." She assured him, sitting down. "You were here first."

Daryl nodded mutely, bringing his thumb to his mouth to gnaw on the cuticle. They stayed like that a few minutes, neither really knowing what to say, before he grabbed an armful of clothes and disappeared inside the connecting bathroom. Probably to get away from the awkward silence and also to have at that shower first.

Emma settled further into the corner of the couch. The man was filthy, so she knew he'd be probably take a while in there. He reminded her of a boy who didn't have a mommy to tell him to wash up. Unnecessarily dirty of the worst kind, and he didn't seem to care at all. Sure, everybody remained relatively unclean these days, but most at least made an effort. Dixon didn't give two shits, and he seemed to _want_ to be in that state. She had to give him credit though. He made a pig look like a polished diamond wrapped in silk, but he was still one of the most attractive men she'd ever physically been in the presence of, and he didn't even have to _try_. It just seemed to happen.

He wasn't the classic type of hollywood-handsome, but sexy nonetheless. He wasn't a 'pretty boy' in any way, but nowhere near ugly. Rough. That was the only word she could find to describe his sharp features. A man's man, through and through. His arms were enough of a hint at that. Defined from working that bow of his instead of from hours spent in a gym.

Caught up in fantasizing about a guy that stood naked not too far away, she didn't even realize that the water had stopped and the door had swung open.

"What're ya lookin' at?" Daryl stepped out, a white towel tossed over his broad shoulders. His hair was still dripping, and sticking up in every other direction. He looked too sexy for his own good. If she was as brave as she hoped she could have been, she'd have jumped him a while ago already. He shaved, she noted. Removing all the extra scruff from his cheeks but still keeping that silly goatee. She couldn't imagine him without it though; it suited him.

Alright, so he was freaking sex on legs when he was dirty, but this was just a crime against her ovaries. How long had she been staring?

"Nothing.. Not a thing." She knew she sounded pretty sarcastic, but she couldn't help it. God, he cleaned up good... She briskly grabbed her cleanest set of clothes and brushed passed him.

Emma dropped her clothes onto a counter and stripped in front of the full length mirror. She knew she looked like shit, but this was ridiculous. Her hair was oily, dirty, bloody and god knew what else was making it stick together and mat to her head. The dark shadows under her eyes made her look older than she really was. Maybe a good nights sleep would get rid of the pesky things.

Her skin was somehow even paler than usual, aside from the sunburn adoring her cheeks, shoulders and chest. It would probably disappear soon though without a trace; she never could accomplish tanned skin without looking like a firetruck first.

She'd never been the skinniest person out there, but with all the rationing lately she'd been able to shed the last few pounds to give her a commonly desired figure. It probably wouldn't last long though. Her belt was already being used to actually keep her jeans up, instead of just being a stylish asset.

She sighed, running her finger over each and every one of the scars marring her torso; it seemed to be a ritual of hers. Not exactly trying to remember the pain she'd went through, but rather reminding herself of how cruel people could be. Then and now.

* * *

><p>Everybody finished up their showers at more or less the same time, and then Jenner led them into the cafeteria. The mood was light, and celebratory. Relaxed. Emma relished in every single bite of spaghetti she took, and almost moaned at the taste. It all felt so foreign now.<p>

Aside from the food, she couldn't help but notice the abundance of alcohol sitting in the cabinets across the room. See-through doors allowed her to see each and every bottle inside. There had to be at least a dozen bottles of whiskey alone, and of course Daryl had taken it upon himself to keep one of them all to himself. Everybody else settled for some wine while they ate, and even Carl had taken a sip. The face he pulled and the way he violently shook his head reminded her just how young he was. He didn't deserve to grow up in this world.

The cheery mood didn't last as long as anybody hoped though. "When you gonna tell us what happened here, doc?" Shane seemed to have felt the need to bring everyone down again.

"No need to do this now, Shane." Rick added. "We're celebrating."

Shane ignored him and continued prodding at the doctor, and she could see Lori and Carol getting uncomfortable about the whole thing.

Jenner opened his mouth to finally explain what happened here, and Alex abruptly stood up before he could get the first word out. "Hey kids, let's go check out that rec room huh?"

Carl and Sophia quickly shoveled in their last bite of food before running to catch up with him. Both mothers shot him a grateful look, to which he only nodded. The second the trio left the room, Jenner continued. At the mere mention suicide, Emma excused herself too and walked after them. She didn't need to hear this, and she sure as hell didn't _want_ to.

* * *

><p>The rec room was fairly large, though consisting of nothing more than a few tables, a sofa, a pool table and a giant tv with a game consol beside it. On the far end was a huge wall-to-wall bookshelf.<p>

"No children's books." Alex confirmed, even after only going through a few sections. "Couple comics though.." He added, and Carl immediately perked up and went over to look through them. Emma grabbed any random book from the shelf and plopped down next to Sophia on the couch. They started flipping through the quotes and poetry book together.

"Where you roomin'?" Alex asked her, barely glancing up from the pages of the comic book. He didn't sound all that interested, so she settled for a short response.

"Not with you." Emma replied cheekily, not looking at him either. She heard him scoff.

"Whatever."

"With Mr. Daryl." Came a soft voice from beside her, and she saw Alex's head snap up so fast she thought it might fly off.

"Really." It wasn't a question. He was speaking to her like she was stupid - his new habit. Emma hummed a yes, and lifted the book up higher so she wouldn't have to see his judgy eyes.

Sophia glanced from the pages to her face. "Is Mr. Daryl your boyfriend?"

The question caught her off guard quite a bit. "Uhm.. No, Soph... What makes you think that?"

Instead of actually saying something, Sophia brought the book back down to their laps and pointed at a block on the page. It read:

_"...And I remember he looked at her in that way that all young girls want to be looked at sometime."_

_Nick Carraway - The Great Gatsby_

"My daddy never looked at my mom like that." Sophia mumbled with a sigh. "The way Daryl looks at you."

"I'm sure you're imagining it." Emma avoided the little girl's curious gaze, and noted that Alex had left the room. It was probably for the best. "Daryl wouldn't... He wouldn't look at _me_ in that way." What the hell did an eleven year old girl know about this stuff anyhow?

"I saw it..." Sophia argued, sitting up straighter. "And he always smiles when he talks to you. And frowns when you talk to Mr. Alex... I think he loves you."

"I don't think so..." Emma tried to keep her voice steady, instead of sounding like she was arguing. Arguing with a kid never went your way.

"He does." She said matter of factly. "You're so pretty, and nice... He's kinda ugly and mean, but still..." Emma couldn't help but laugh at that. Figures Sophia'd still think boys were gross, despite all this love talk.

"You guys are weird..." Carl mumbled from his spot at the other end of the room, peeking at them over the pages of the comic. Emma stuck her tongue out at him, and he did it right back before his gaze drifted down again.

"Do you love him?" Sophia demanded her attention again, bumping Emma's shoulder with her own. She'd never seen the little girl so comfortable with someone else besides her mother before. Maybe Ed dying had done the small family some good.

"No." Emma said honestly. At least she felt it was the truth. "But I do think he's cute."

Sophia pulled a face, but it turned into a smile almost immediately after. "You should date him."

Emma smiled and shook her head, absentmindedly running her finger over the aforementioned quote. _Yeah, the group would loooove that._

Carol and Lori came in shortly after that and went through the books for a while before they sent the kids to bed. Emma walked them down the hallway, gave Carl one of those squeeze-to-death kinda hugs that he hated so much and wandered back into her own room. Daryl wasn't there, not that she was all that surprised. Redneck's probably gonna be sleepin' next to all the booze tonight. She only stayed in there for a bit before the silence got too much. The creepy hum of the AC didn't help much either; it just reminded her that she was alone... She hated being alone.

She practically ran out of the room after she flicked the lights off. Like the moment when you kinda dive for your bed once it's all dark...

_Scaredy cat_, she scolded as she walked in the general direction she thought the Cafeteria was in.

She followed the glowing signs that hung from the ceiling, knowing she was close when she heard loud, obnoxious laughter. Somebody already drank too much, and she already had a hunch on who it might be. She'd never heard him actually laugh before, but it sounded like it might be Daryl... He must'a been drunk outta his mind to be laughing this much.

His smile was infectious the second she pushed through the heavy double doors. Only him and Glenn remained in the room, everybody else having turned in for the night.

"Who's winning?" Emma asked, not needing to try too hard to figure out what they were doing once she saw all the cups and coins. And whiskey. Lots and lots of whiskey. Glenn was sprawled out on the floor too, so that was a major giveaway. She wasn't sure why they were sitting on the floor though.. Maybe it was easier skip the coins.

"I am." Daryl grunted, easily bouncing another coin into the glass that sat between them. "Drink it up, Glenn."

Glenn just groaned over-dramatically and giggled a little, not even trying to sit up. "Tag team. Emma... 's yer turn." He slurred, lolling his head to the side to look at her.

"Doesn't seem fair.." She tried to play it cool. "Daryl doesn't have a partner."

"Don't need one." Daryl growled, peeking up at her through his bangs. "If yer so set on it thou', get yer damn eeyore." He mumbled when she just stared at him.

"His names Alex." She caught on immediately, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. She'd heard so many of the nicknames people gave Alex, and though this wasn't one she hadn't heard before, the way he said it made her anger spike.

"Relax a lil there, darlin'." He looked up at her, smirking slightly. "Jus' messin' wit'cha." Emma froze when he winked. Yeah, definitely drunk.

"Alex shouldn't be drinking, anyways.." She played it off, sitting down despite that annoying voice screaming no.

"He had some wine at dinner..." Glenn's eyes widened slightly as he spoke, as if he were worried for Alex's sake. How much did Daryl make him drink?

"A little is fine. As long as he didn't wander off with a bottle..." Emma could hear the panic in her own voice. Maybe she should check on him..

"He didn't. Passed out a while ago." Daryl said, recalling seeing the guy fast asleep on his bed with the door left wide open. Definitely wasn't sneaking no alcohol in there or nothin'.

"Oh, okay." Emma settled down again where she didn't even realize she was getting up.

"So, ya playin'..?" Daryl stared at her expectantly, though he was already filling up a glass for her.

"I really shouldn't..." She bit her lip as Glenn gave her puppy dog eyes. Damn, he was good at that. She almost caved.

Daryl leaned slightly towards her. "Jus' a few rounds? Who's it gonna hurt?"

Emma shifted her eyes between them, trying desperately to ignore his intense gaze, but somehow she just kept going back to it. "I'm not drinkin'."

Daryl merely continued on to fill the glass. "Glenn ain't playin' no more, and I ain't done yet." He grumbled.

"You don't need a game to get drunk." She tried to reason, wringing her hands together in front of her. "I'm not sure about this..." She mumbled, but the familiar clink and splash made the decision for her as Daryl bounced the coin.

"Drink up." He told her, throwing his hand out in front of him. He didn't sound drunk at all, but even she could see he was swaying slightly.

Emma flicked her eyes from her glass to his grinning face, repeating the action five times. "I don't like whisk-"

"Said drink it." He cut her off, clearly getting annoyed that she wasn't as willing as the near-passed-out guy next to her.

She thought about it for a moment before she hesitantly picked up the glass, swirling around the brown liquid inside before she started bringing it to her lips slowly, eyes never leaving his. As soon as the cool edge of the glass touched her lip, she deliberately tipped it forward too much, hissing as the cold liquid spilled from it's confines and ran down her neck, soaking the front of her shirt. She sputtered slightly as some got in her mouth anyways, but she forced an apologetic smile. "My bad.."

"Yer not f.. funny." Daryl slurred, despite Glenn's sudden loud bark of laughter from beside her. He pushed his own full glass towards her. "Got 'nuff booze ta keep this goin' all night, darlin'." Okay, that was the second time he called her that. Maybe this should be his limit.

"And I've got enough patience to waste it all." She countered, leaning forward. She couldn't help but notice that Dixon's eyes couldn't seem to stay on her face. Maybe she shoulda just aimed for her lap instead of willingly letting him get a private wet t-shirt show. Glenn couldn't see shit, but he wasn't really focusing on anything besides how much he seemed to love his laugh.

"This is boring, Em.. Drink." Glenn encouraged, clumsily picking up the glass and handing it to her. More whiskey spilled out and landed on her chest, and she didn't notice Daryl's eyes hungrily following the drops until they disappeared between her breasts.

"Yeah." Daryl forced his gaze back to her face.

Emma sucked in a deep breath as she brought the glass closer to her lips. She hadn't swallowed even a drop of alcohol since the whole Trace incident... As stupid as it sounded, she was always afraid it would happen again. Her being drunk was the initial reason it had happened. But Trace wasn't here. He was never there, anymore. He wasn't dead; she could almost be sure of that. _But he wasn't here_.

"Not here.." She said under her breath before she finally took a long swig. Then another, again and again until the glass was empty. The whiskey burned it's way down her throat, and she coughed more times than she'd like to admit as squeezed her eyes shut and they started to water.

"Atta girl..." Emma heard Daryl say as she felt a hand sliding along her thigh, then back down to her knee before disappearing. If that happened every time she drank, she'd be more than happy to keep playing.

* * *

><p>"C'mon ya lightweight..." Daryl growled, adjusting his arm around her waist to keep her steady. "Almost there."<p>

"At some point since we left the cafeteria, did it ever occur to you that maybe I'm doing this on purpose?" She whispered drunkenly, pushing her body closer to his. She deliberately made her self trip every few steps so he'd have to tighten his hold. She was flush against him now, and enjoying each second of it.

"Why's tha'?" Daryl suddenly bent down, locking his arm behind her knees and scooping her up from the floor. She didn't fight him.

Emma pressed her face against his neck, even though he tensed. "I like your arms around me..." She hiccuped, feeling his pulse thud beneath her lips. "You have nice arms."

Daryl stopped walking, and she felt rather than heard him gulp. "Yer drunk."

"So're you."

"Fair 'nuff." He adjusted her in his arms before he started walking again, turning the last corner.

"Doesn't mean I don't think the same when I'm sober, though.."

"Think wha'?" He slowly lowered her back to the floor when they got back to their room, letting her walk in by herself. As soon as he shut the door and turned around, she was suddenly there, pushing him against the wall with her tiny hands. The girl didn't have alotta strength in her but he let her move him.

"That you're _really_ hot.." Emma bit her lip and batted her eye lashes up at him, arching her back slightly to push her chest up against his.

Daryl swallowed thickly, ducking his head to catch her eyes. "That so?"

"Mm-hmm..." She hummed. When he didn't push her away, she built up the courage to push herself onto her toes and gently touch her lips to his. He didn't react much more than tensing beneath her palms and returning the kiss with only the slightest bit of pressure

She was about to pull away, but he beat her to it, roughly jerking his head back and resulting in his skull colliding against the door with a loud thud. "Fuck.." He grunted, one hand going to the back of his head and the other pushing her away at arms length. "Gotta stop, girl..." _No fair; he suddenly seemed really sober._

Emma pouted, easily shrugging his hand away from her shoulder so she could get close again. "And if I don't?" She lightly trailed her finger down the centre of his chest. "Whatcha gonna do?" She snickered. "Spank me?"

Daryl felt his face flush and there was an almost painful cramp of desire in his stomach. "Stop.."

"Hit a nerve, didn't I?" Emma gave him a slow, seductive smile, tracing circles over his chest. "You'd like that, wouldn't you Daryl?"

His breath hitched at the way she sighed his name, and he couldn't deny that her touches were making him shiver. He almost hoped she didn't notice. "I'd like it too.." She slurred, leaning up to kiss the hollow of his throat, and she thought she actually heard him growl. The sound made her body heat up, and she fisted her hands in his shirt, pulling his mouth down to hers.

But then she pulled away, and she relished in the frustrated groan he made in the back of his throat. "But you're right.." Emma sighed, taking a step away from him. His hands slipped from her body, and his shoulders visibly slumped. "Little girl like me probably can't handle what you got..." She giggled at the amused twinkle in his eyes, but continued to back up. The sensual sway in her hips as she moved had him following her anyways, whether he knew it was wrong or not. He couldn't bring himself to care; what the group would say if something _did_ happen, and that her dad wouldn't need much of a reason to kill him for it.

With a loud groan, Daryl grabbed her ass and yanked her against him. His lips parted, forcing hers to open with them. Christ, he was warm and wet, it was almost too good.

He pushed his mouth firmly onto hers while he crouched slightly and wrapped his arms around her waist, hoisting her up his body so his hips tucked nicely between her legs. Squealing in shock, she quickly wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his shoulders so she didn't fall.

Emma moaned into his mouth when she felt a growing, hard bulge pressing against her. "This is wrong.." She panted when he finally let her come up for air.

"We shouldn't.." He added, though he started walking them to the bed nonetheless, holding her against him as if she weighed a bag of feathers.

Daryl's knees hit the bed before her back met the matress and he slowly set her down. He scooted her higher up on the bed until her head found the pillows.

He instantly dropped his head, completely avoiding her lips as his own found her neck, still sticky from the whiskey. She whimpered when his teeth scraped against her collar bone, sucking and licking at her flesh. Daryl continued nipping up her throat until he met her lips again. She swept her tongue into his mouth, eagerly sliding it against his.

He involuntarily jerked his hips, and his loud moan broke the kiss.

"Shh..." Emma giggled softly, "They'll hear us.."

He just smirked, letting one of his hands go to push her shirt up and he felt hers go to his buttons. But they both suddenly froze, jerking their hands back as if they'd been burned.

Their eyes met, wide from realization at what they'd been just about to do, but still lust-blown, with a hint of sympathy and something primal.

Emma quickly averted her gaze, nervously fiddling with the hem of her top. She could feel one of the thick welts against her palm through the flimsy material. _**It's always something.**_ "I'm sorry.." _**I don't want him to see...**_

He understood completely, whether she realized it or not. He had his own scars to hide. "I get it..." Daryl was the first to pull away, moment ruined the second he sat up. _**I don't want her to know, anyways...**_

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><p><strong>[AN: I hope I didn't disappoint too many of you with this chapter.. But hey, they had their first kiss!c:]**


	18. Tempting

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Eighteen: "Tempting"**

**Special Thanks to:: NathalieIyper, enchantmentanjel, Rockout101, SexyInu, The Angel's Devil, Charlie2193, Jasperluva15, Guest, djschavee & WeasleyTwinObsessed!**

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><p>Emma woke up slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light in the room. She and Daryl must have forgotten to put it off before they fell asleep...<p>

Daryl..

The memories of last night quickly flooded her mind, surprisingly remembering every last detail; The drinking. The way she pushed herself onto him, just to make him stop not five minutes later. She felt like shit, and no, not just because of the splitting headache.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. The alcohol had simply given her a little too much confidence, ending in her throwing herself at a guy twice her age that was probably looking for no more than a casual fuck. In that state of mind, she'd of course been more than willing. But now..? She just wanted to erase it all. Every last bit of it, and pretend that maybe he could actually be interested in more than just her body.

...She actually liked him.

It could have been the fact that Sophia had brought it up - making her realize that she might not be crazy for feeling something between her and Daryl. It could have been that kiss. That toe-curling, heart stopping kinda kiss... But no. It was every moment Daryl's wolf-like blue eyes flipped up to hers that she felt herself melt helplessly into knowing that she wanted him. It didn't matter who he was, what he did, or where he'd come from. She wanted him in every way possible, and had almost gotten part of what she wanted last night.

But Trace had stopped her from getting just that. Again. He wasn't even here anymore, and he was still controlling what she did.

And now it was too late to tell Daryl how she felt without looking like a fool; a dumb little girl with daddy issues, chasing after him like a bitch in heat. He'd reject her, for sure. Probably even using those exact words as he did it.

Hell, he couldn't even stand to be near her once the chance to get his dick wet slipped from his fingers. He said he understood - whatever that meant - and then he'd left her sitting in the center of the bed in nothing more than a tank top and some boy shorts. She couldn't even recall him removing her jeans.. Sneaky bastard.

Maybe he really did only want one thing, and it was pointless for her to shoot for anything more.. She just had to get over it.

A part of her was happy that it never went further last night; she wouldn't have really known what to do.. She was surprised that her nerves hadn't overrode the whiskey-induced lust.

She was a virgin. The drinks definitely had a whole lot to do with her willingness to sleep with Daryl on the spot. That had never happened before... Sure, Trace had tried to get her to put out on more than one occasion, but she could never do it. Maybe the alcohol was the key. Or maybe it was just the sexy hunk of redneck laying just a few feet away..

Whoa.

No. No, that wasn't right. He couldn't have been on the couch, if the heavy arm slung over her waist was any indication. She'd fallen asleep before he came back from wherever the hell he went, and he musta crawled into the bed with her _for some reason_.

Emma cracked her eyes open again, ignoring the pulsing sting behind her eyelids. She could feel his body pressed right up against her back, his fingers splayed out against her stomach. His hot breath puffed against the back of her neck, sending her whole body into a burst of goose bumps.

Every move she made had his arm tightening around her, whether it was her simply looking over her shoulder, or actually trying to get up. Huh, Daryl Dixon didn't look like a cuddler but hey, you learn something new every day.

His stubble tickled her shoulder as he mumbled things against the crook of her neck. She frowned, trying to make out what he was saying. Some of the shit he grumbled on a normal day was sometimes hard to hear, so this was impossible.

She tugged experimentally on his arm and froze in response when his hand slipped under her top. Shit. No. She squirmed under his touch as he traced one of her scars with the tip of his finger, and she wasn't sure if he was still sleeping. She had to get away. He'd be awake soon, if he wasn't already.

His hand trailed higher, causing a bolt of heat to rush between her legs as his fingertips grazed her chest. He growled something that sounded like "soft" as he cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. She bit back a moan, arching into his hand.

He groaned against her neck, and she didn't realize she'd pushed her ass back until he was rocking his hips against her, a hard bulge becoming prominent. "That's it..." His voice was a husky growl in her ear.

Emma stiffened again, ignoring the dull throb between her thighs as she grabbed his wrist and slowly pulled his hand out of her shirt. It went straight to her hip, still preventing her from getting up.

"Daryl?" She whispered, staring absently at the white wall in front of her. Even if she could get out of his embrace, she'd still have to climb over his body to get out of the bed. A desk was positioned right at the foot of it, so there was literally only one way.

He sighed against the back of her neck before obediently rolling away from her, falling on his stomach beside her. "Five more minutes, Merle." He mumbled against the pillow. _Really?_

Emma slowly sat up and turned to him, staring at him almost expectantly. His face was all squished up on one side, his cheek pulled up against the scratchy cushion while he snored softly. She bit her lip to contain her laughter; the sight was just too damn cute.

He looked so much younger in his sleep. Frown lines gone. Permanent scowl gone. It made her wonder how old he actually was.. Maybe her stupid crush wouldn't be so unbelievable if he was closer to her age. There had to be at least a ten year gap though, since he definitely _looked_ older than thirty.. Hopefully she'd build up enough courage to ask him, though it was none of her business.

Daryl cracked his eyes open, watching her playing around with her hair while she presumably waited for him to wake up. She pulled it this way and that way, pulling it up before letting it flop back down again... He was a full grown man but he had yet to understand what the hell girls found so interesting about their hair. Yeah, her long hair was fuckin' sexy, cascading down her slender back and almost reaching her ass. A pretty good picture popped into his head of his fingers tangled in the thick locks as she dropped to her knees and... Okay, maybe he did understand it. He suppressed a groan as he peeked back up at her chest, her nipples still straining against the tight material from his ministrations moments earlier.

He watched her until she turned towards him and then had continued to feign sleep. He'd woken up the second she tugged on his arm, but couldn't stop himself from touching her a little more. If she really wanted to get up, she could have. He weren't no perv that was gonna keep touchin' her when she clearly didn't want it... She wasn't layin' there against her will or nothin'.

Just remembering the sound of her moan and the softness of her skin was turning him on to no end. He pushed his thoughts away harshly, forcing himself to concentrate on something other than Emma. But fuck, he couldn't help it. Everything that happened last night came rushing back.

The way she pushed that little body against him, all the dirty words flying from that mouth a' hers. He couldn't even have imagined she'd ever say shit like that to him. She just looked too damn innocent fer that. But now he knew she had that side to her; a side he really wanted to see again.

He wanted to reach out and grab her - let her _know_ just what he wanted. But now she was sober, and would probably try her hardest to get away from his advances. He was sober too, and right now he didn't exactly have the guts to voice his needs.

...she wasn't _his_ to claim.

"Uhh.. Morning." Daryl heard her soft voice, and cursed inwardly. He'd forgotton to close his eyes before she looked back at him. He cut his eyes to her and noticed she was looking away again, wringing her hands together like she'd done last night.

"Mornin'." He responed gruffly, throwing back the thin sheet and sitting up. He made sure to keep his back to her, still willing his erection to go away but the traitor was adamant.

Daryl heard her sigh behind him, and risked a peek over his shoulder. She was picking at her nails, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth repeatedly with a somber expression. But the second she noticed he was looking at her, she forced a small smile.

"You sleep okay?" She asked nervously, blushing a little. Well that was one way for her to find out if he remembered exactly what he'd been doing. Daryl didn't even spare her a second glance as he abruptly stood up, stalking into the bathroom without another word. The slam of the door made her jump, and she fell back on the bed with a heavy sigh. This guy was more complicated than Alex; and that was saying an awful lot.


	19. FriendZoned

**A New Kind of Broken**

**Chapter Nineteen: "FriendZoned"**

**Special thanks to:: Enchantmentanjel, BohemianChic, blind-bandit95, Lady-Finwe, EllieMarieG, kaji enzeru, LMAmason, , candyish12345 & TRUEBLOOD12!**

**[A/N1: Please remember that despite what happens in this chapter, they are going to end up together eventually:)! Btw I really need help with their couple name haha.]**

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><p>"Just gonna lay in bed all day, huh?" Shane said, staring at the lump that formed under the covers. It was nothing new for Emma to jump from one bed to the next; she used to do it every morning before school. So he wasn't all that surprised when he left the bathroom to find her curled up in his still-warm blankets.<p>

" 's still dark..." Her words were muffled, but he could just barely make them out.

"That's cause there ain't no windows."

"You tell it your way, I'll tell it mine."

"Emma, get up." He jerked up the sheet and a set of pale blue eyes immediately met his own dark ones. "C'mon, what's the matter?"

She simply sighed over-dramatically, shrugging and watching as he stuck his nose in the air.

"You stink.." He muttered.

"I just showered!" She almost yelled, pouting slightly.

"Like booze." He quickly added, quirking one eyebrow at her. Emma cowered further into the mattress at the mulish look on his face. "Can't be past ten and yer already drinkin' again."

"It's midnight somewhere..." She yanked the sheet from his grasp, covering her head again. The mattress dipped slightly as he presumably sat down. She felt his hand on the small of her back.

"You alright?" He inquired, sounding genuinely concerned.

Emma sat up slowly, the sheet pooling at her waist as she brought herself to his level. "Have you ever liked someone who didn't liked you back?" She mumbled. God she felt like an idiot, and she wasn't even sure why she was asking Shane this kinda stuff. He was her father for fuck sakes. But hey, he had to know more about relationships than she did.

Shane stifled a chuckle at the clueless look on her face. "Uh, yeah.. I have." Weren't it the mother that was supposed to have the relationship talk? Hell, Mandy wasn't here so... "Please tell me this is about Alex?" _and not Dixon._

Emma hummed, not really giving him an answer. "Does it always suck this much?"

"Yer almost eighteen and yer only feelin' like this now?"

She nodded, feeling even more stupid. It had only ever been Trace before this, and he'd never had to make her question everything about herself before. Was she too young? Too annoying? God, maybe he thought she was fuckin' hideous. Yeah, that's why he didn't like her. That's why he was ignoring her now... Oh wait, Shane was still talking. Focus.

"-wish yer mom was here... fer this." He grunted, and she could sense his uncertainty. He probably thought she was expecting "the talk" as a follow-up to this chat. Lori covered that a long time ago, so at least she could put him in the clear.

"I don't." Emma said, chin raising higher. "You're doing just fine." She placed a chaste kiss on his freshly shaven cheek. She offered a small smile, and he returned it without hesitation.

"If Alex don't like you, it's his loss. Y'hear me?" _It's not Alex, but okay._ Shane stood up and she followed him to the door. She stopped him before he could walk out.

"Whoa.. What happened there?" She asked, eyeing four long red scratches along the side of his neck. They sure as hell weren't there the last time she saw him yesterday.

"Done it in my sleep or somethin'..." He easily covered the area from her view with his large hand. She of course saw straight through that lie, but she wouldn't press him for it.

* * *

><p>"Seriously." Emma mumbled as she stared at the closed door, juggling an almost overflowing mug in one hand and a plate full of T-dog's home-made eggs in the other, crispy bacon making her stomach growl all over again.<p>

She felt silly as she raised her knee slightly, opting for using it to knock. It had the desired effect when the door swung open in an instant.

"What're you doin'?" Daryl asked, eyes roaming over her skeptically.

She sucked in a deep breath. "Had a feeling you wouldn't be coming down for breakfast with the group... So breakfast came to you."

"What's the catch, breakfast?" He bit back a chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Please don't let that be my nickname..." Her eyes widened slightly, and she shifted her weight to one hip, then the other. "Alright, I spiked your coffee." She admitted, with mock deplore and a slight frown. Daryl just stared at her, the ghost of a smile completely gone now. "With booze though, so you're welcome."

"Tryna get me drunk or somethin'?"

"Aww man, you're on to me.. Guess I need another plan, huh?"

Daryl shook his head at her sarcasm, stepping aside to let her in. He wasn't sure what this was really about, but he'd play along as long as those eggs were all his.

Before she'd even heard the door click shut, her hands were suddenly empty as he snatched up his breakfast, already finishing half of his coffee in one go. "Never thought'a mixin' coffee and whiskey before..."

"Irish coffee.. You live there for a year you kinda pick up on some things."

"Ya lived in Ireland?"

She gave a slight nod before swiping a piece of bacon from his plate, ignoring the snarl forming on his lips. "I lived everywhere. Almost."

"Knew ya weren't from 'round 'ere. Way ya talk.. Mixed accents."

"Born here, not raised." She giggled slightly, falling onto the couch while Daryl sat down slowly so not to spill the precious meal she'd brought him.

"Now what's this really 'bout, blondie?"

Emma's eyes immediately shot down where she'd thrown her mop of hair over her shoulder. She wasn't sure why she hadn't realized it sooner, but the brunette dye was fading faster than she hoped, even if it hadn't even started growing out yet. It always ended up that way; blonde pushing it's way to the surface before her hair could even grow an inch to show her natural colour.

"Guess the secret's out.." She smiled, and he hummed through a mouthful of eggs. "No dumb blonde jokes, though."

" 'nother reason why it's hard ta believe yer related to Deputy Dipshit."

Emma shifted slightly as his steely eyes locked on her. "Yeah, I'm kinda my moms double..." She trailed off. "Anyways. I just... I think I owe you an apology." Daryl said nothing, and there was a brief moment of silence as she tried to find the words to continue. She pulled her legs up onto the couch, wrapping her arms around them. "I'm sorry about last night... I shouldn't have assumed-"

Daryl's scoff cut her off, and she dropped her gaze to a tear on the knees of her jeans. "Stop... Ain't you that's gotta be sorry. It's me." He kept his eyes on the plate, his voice staying low and a little shaky. It was enough for her to know that he didn't really apologize often.

"You stop." She mumbled childishly, eyebrows pulling together. "It's all on me. I mean it's happened to me before.. Wait no. I mean, whenever I'm drunk, this kinda thing.." She wanted to face palm so hard at that moment, but she didn't think he needed another reason not to like her. But he could add weirdo to that list anyways. "I sound like such a slut. I'm just gonna shut up. I'm sorry... Okay?"

"Forgettin' the part where I half mauled yer damn face off?" He felt like such an idiot for letting it get to that point last night. Not to mention that he felt like a perv for almost takin' advantage of her, but he couldn't deny that he liked having her body against his. And then there was the whole '_sleeping_' incident earlier.. He was surprised she was even lookin' at him. He was fuckin' disgusted with himself... So why wasn't she?

"We're both did somethin' wrong.. But you have to admit that it's my fault it even started."

"I'm the one that gotcha drinkin'.." He was arguing without even sounding like he was arguing. Stubborn man.

Emma stared at him, her expression incredulous.

"Just puttin' it out there." He mumbled, peeking up at her. She honestly couldn't understand how _he_ was beating himself up over it. It's not like he freakin' raped her or forced it upon her. Hell, it was her drunken mind that made her go through with it, not his. But there he was, feeling guilty for whatever reason. She was the one who pushed herself onto him.

Emma bit her lip, letting her head fall back so she stared at the ceiling. "You know how everyone's got a habit?" He said nothing for a while at the strange change of subject, and she could just imagine the frown on his face.

"What ye goin' on about?"

"A habit. Y'know, biting yer nails. Playing with yer hair, stuff like that."

"Okay, yeah..?"

"Well, one of many of mine is apologizing." She tilted her head to look at him, but he kept his gaze straight ahead. "Know what that means?"

"Yer not gonna stop...?"

She sighed, picking at the afore mentioned rip in her jeans. "Pretty crappy trait, but yes."

Daryl snorted. "Whatever."

"If I say it first, can this be over?" He looked at her then, and she raised her eyebrows expectantly. She had to suppress a smile when he gave the smallest of nods. "Alright then.. apology accepted." She said, before holding out her pinky. "And I also promise not to throw myself at you again. Being your friend is good enough for me..." _It's gonna have to be._ She resisted the urge to take it all back and jump onto his lap.

Through the pounding in her ears and the way her heart was trying to rip itself from her chest, she didn't notice his hesitation. The way his eyes narrowed should have made her realize he didn't like what he was hearing.

Emma wiggled her wrist. "This is where you say it too..." She whispered, but he remained frowning at his lap. He knew she was right - nothing could happen. He was stupid for thinking that last night meant anything; that a girl like her could stand to be with a guy like him. And not that he was scared of Shane or anything, but he sure as hell didn't wanna get his ass kicked over a girl. Even a girl as pretty as her... a girl that just friendzoned him. He finally knew what that fuckin' word meant, and why Merle cut off most'a his women for doin' just that to him.

...But he weren't Merle.

Instead of holding out his pinky, he thrust the plate towards her, where the very last strip of bacon lay spread out perfectly. "Apology accepted." He repeated her words, almost returning the smile she gave him as she reached for the piece.

_Spare your own feelings; he doesn't want you,_ her mind muttered. It said she was doing the right thing. Daryl deserved better anyways, even if he wasn't actually interested in her; the naïve little girl silently begging for his attention. But why did it feel like such a mistake? She liked him too much for this to run smoothly.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN2: Eek! I am so sorry for taking so long to update! I'm trying to keep up with at least one chapter a week, and maybe now with the show's return, watching Bae will give me tons of inspiration. I'm literally writing this story chapter-to-chapter, with only a few permanent ideas for the future... Know what that means?! :D = Feel free to tell me more or less what you'd like to see happening next, or coming up in a few chapters. I love to hear from you guys, and I'm not just saying that... Reviews fuel my motivation.]**


	20. Suicide

**Special Thanks to:: enchantmentanjel, djschavee, MagiaMyst, Frankielvz, Moony and Pads, 7darkangel7, dean's chick84, LMG the II, bakaneko7, anti-social-wolf, me4444, Jisselle In Wonderland, ks vamp girl & xtremestraightedgeratedrgirl!**

* * *

><p>"Few people ever had the chance to see this." Jenner's voice was ominous as he lead them back into the Zone 5 control room. "Vi bring up test subject 19." The huge screen above them came to life, displaying a computer animated human form, and zoomed in on its head.<p>

"Is that someone's brain?" Carl asked as he dropped into one of the empty chairs beside Rick.

"Yes, an extraordinary one." Jenner answered, turning toward the boy. Emma heard the pang of loss in his voice; this was personal for him. "This video shows someone who was bitten, infected and allowed the process to be recorded." He explained as he stared up at the screen with a vacant look, before he went to fiddle with some controls.

"What're those?" Alex asked from somewhere behind her when spider web-like synapses flashed with light throughout the brain scans on the screen.

"Experience, memories. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, is you. The thing that makes you unique and human."

"This ever gonna get interesting?" Daryl asked. Emma elbowed him in the ribs and he just stared at her, hand coming up to cover the area pretending like it hurt.

Jenner ignored him, walking closer to the screen. "The virus attacks the brain. It goes dark, the body dies. Everything you were or ever will be... Gone." He paused again when a choked sob echoed in the room. Ahead, she could see Andrea lowering herself into a seat, rubbing her eyes.

"Her sister died." Lori explained. "Like... that."

Jenner approached Andrea, his voice sympathetic. "I lost somebody, too. I know how devastating it is."

Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. They'd all lost somebody, and if the barely-audible scoff from Alex was any indication, he was thinking the exact same thing.

Jenner fast-forwarded to what he called to the second event. "TS-19's resurrection."

"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked.

"Just the brain-stem." Jenner clarified. "The human part, the _you_ part. That doesn't come back." Everybody nodded according to his words, and their eyes went back to the screen just as the barrel of a gun appeared in the corner, followed by a bright beam of light flashing through the patients skull.

"That's why it has to be the brain." Daryl reinforced. "Only way to kill them things."

The group remained silent, nobody making a move to go anywhere.

"Despite seeing the process, we still don't know what exactly the disease is." Jenner ignored Daryl's comment of stating the obvious. "That's why there's no cure."

"There must be other facilities still up and running, working on it?" Rick asked. Jenner didn't reply and continued to watch the now-blank computer screen.

"How can you not know?" Andrea blurted out, pushing herself to her feet.

"Everything went down." Jenner clarified. "I've been in the dark for... almost a month. The power grid is down."

"So it's not just here, it's everywhere. There's nothing left anywhere; that's what your saying?' Andrea summed up.

"Oh my god..." Carol cried when Jenner didn't say anything to the contrary.

"Carol, we're safe here. We have shelter." Rick tried to comfort her, but he stayed where he was.

"C'mon." Lori took Carol's arm, leading her and Sophia back to their room.

"The French... I think they were the last to hold out." Jenner finally answered. "That's the last thing I heard."

"Nothing. Anywhere." Andrea repeated.

"Man, I 'm gonna get shit faced drunk. Again." Daryl said and started pacing.

* * *

><p>"Yer quiet." Alex mumbled, dropping to his back beside her on the bed.<p>

Emma shook her head, avoiding his gaze and dropping it to the album in her lap. " 's nothing new." She trailed her finger along the edge of the page, staring at all the pictures. She'd seen the photo album on the bed the second she walked in the room, but she didn't bother asking him why he'd been looking at them. All these pictures were at least four years old, most of them taken at school, when it was just the two of them. The way it was supposed to be...

Alex hummed and pulled the album away from her, slamming it shut with more force than necessary. She didn't question it and layed down, resting her head on his stomach. "Am I stupid for thinking that everything was gonna go back to normal?"

Her head raised slightly as he sighed. "No, but I was hopin' it wouldn't..."

"How come?"

"I'd be sleepin' in a cage the first night back... Or whenever they found the ol' man's body."

"Alex, stop it." Emma said forcefully, knowing where he was headed with this topic.

"I killed him.." He swallowed thickly. "Shoulda stayed there so he could come back for me."

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, feeling tears welling up at the memory. He didn't deserve to feel guilty about it. "You did what you had to.." She repeated her words from the night on the highway.

"Stop sayin' that shit." He abruptly got up, in turn forcing her away from him. "Shouldn't 'a done it. Shoulda-"

"Let him kill you?" She muttered, crawling to the edge of the bed where he now stood. "How is that better?"

"I-"

"Shut up." She quickly interrupted instead. "He's your father but he doesn't get everything. He sure as hell doesn't get your life."

"So I get his? That's how it's supposed to be?"

"No." She mumbled, grabbing his hand when he started to back away from her. "I get that you put family first... But he didn't put you first. He doesn't get to take your guilt to the grave, and you don't have to do it either. Not everything is your fault."

Alex kept his head down, eyes hidden behind a curtain of hair as he took it all in. She waited patiently for him to find the words, but it wasn't until she felt his tear splash onto her wrist that she realized he was done talking. She tugged on his arm and when he finally sat down, she wrapped her arms around his middle. There was so much wrong with this world, but she wouldn't let him pull away too. She didn't think she could make it without him, as stupid as it sounded.

He didn't hug her back; he never did. He always said he felt like enough of a pussy for crying in front of her so much, but she couldn't fault him for any of it. He'd been through more than anybody she'd ever met - he was allowed to let it out once in a while. If he couldn't do that, she doubted he'd even be around anymore.

"He was a great man.." She said, her mind not letting her shut up just yet. "He forced you to make that decision, but he wouldn't want you to feel like this. You're not alone... You can try to push me away, but I won't go anywhere."

"Stubborn girl.." He sniffled.

"_Your_ stubborn girl." She corrected, not entirely sure what compelled her next to tilt her head and capture his lips, salty from the tears but still returning the slightest pressure without hesitation. She took longer than she should have to pull away, and they remained silent as she wiped away his stray tears with her thumbs.

* * *

><p>Emma roughly dug the heels of her hands against her eyes as she dazily wandered back down the hallway. "Stupid." She muttered. Then again. Then twice more. Why'd she have to go and do that shit? Why'd he have to go and do it back? "Fucking idiot." She vigorously wiped her mouth with her wrist, as if that would erase the kiss entirely. She'd gone and done it, but she still didn't know why. It wasn't like it hadn't happened before - they'd always had a pretty strange friendship. Acting like they're together when they were alone, even though they had no intention of giving that away in front of people. It probably wouldn't change anything. The last kiss didn't change anything, but somehow this one felt different... Different on his part, rather than hers.<p>

"Hangover only hittin' ya now?" She quickly pulled her hands away from her face, seeing Daryl sprawled out on the couch. The swinging bottle of Bourbon in his hand caught her eye but she pushed down the urge to swipe it from him.

"Yeah.. Yeah, that's it." She lied, dropping onto the floor to lean against the sofa. She felt him nudge the cool bottle against her arm but she just shook her head, rubbing her eyes again. The couch moved against her back as he sat up, and she felt the rough material of his jeans against her side. Even though she didn't really need it, it was somewhat comforting.

"Where'd ya go?"

"Checked on Alex.." She bit her lip. "Long story, but I guess that playback hit him hard." _As did your lips, you slut._ Daryl only hummed, not the reply she was expecting but she'd settle for it. "Why's all your stuff packed up?" She turned slightly so she could see him. The mess of clothes that had been strewn across the floor earlier was no longer there.

He shrugged, taking another swig. "Some'n just don't feel right."

"And you packed all my stuff, too." She noticed.

"Shoved, bein' a better word. Weren't nothin' delicate 'bout the process so quit yer grinnin'." He mumbled, and only then did she realized she was smiling at him. _Stop it, idiot_. She quickly wiped it from her face, turning away just to be safe.

"Thanks, Dixon."

"Yeah, Walsh."

They lapsed into silence, and at some point Daryl slid from the couch and onto the floor next to her, where they started passing the booze between each other. She took small sips; as small as it could be to look normal. She'd promised she wouldn't let there be a repeat of last night, and she'd stick to it until she didn't actually _have to_. Lord, let that day come fast, she inwardly pleaded as she glanced at him.

She had just stretched her legs out in front of her when the hum of the a/c suddenly stopped, and the lights flickered before they were submerged in darkness.

Emma felt rather than heard Daryl shoot to his feet, and blindly tried to follow him to the door. She was sure she had almost reached him, when her foot got caught and before she even realized what was happening, her body collided hard with the rough carpet bellow. She could feel something sharp digging into her leg and her arm at the same time and she couldn't help but cry out.

Light from the hallway flooded into the room as Daryl opened the door, but he came back to her instead of walking out. "Y'alright?" He obviously couldn't see the blood that was no doubt what she felt spreading along the material of her jeans, and coating her hands, or else he wouldn't even have asked her that.

She nodded weakly, using one hand to wave him off. "I'm fine. Go." There was absolutely no reluctance in his strides out of the room; he probably thought she was just embarrassed.

Emma forced herself to roll over, and finally saw what she'd tripped over.

Daryl's crossbow, that lay in the middle of nowhere. One of the bolts previously clipped onto the weapon was now pierced a few inches into her calf. A foot away from her injured arm lay Daryl's backpack, a sharp blade torn through the material now dripping with her blood. Without thinking, she ripped the offending steel out of her leg, which only resulted in more blood to come rushing out.

* * *

><p>"All nonessentials are powering down." Jenner explained without breaking stride.<p>

"Air is non-essential?" Daryl ran ahead to stop the Dr. from walking away from them. "Hey, I'm talking to you! What's going on?"

"This place is powering down." Jenner repeated bluntly.

"How can a building do anything?"

"You'd be surprised."

Once again they had followed Jenner, and the group found themselves back in Zone 5. Its cool dim light and soft humming sound of machines now felt terrifying. The building had a mind of its own.

Dale pointed to a digital timer on the wall above the main monitor. "Doctor, what happens at zero?"

"The basement generators run out of fuel, then site decontamination takes place."

"Decontamination?" Rick asked.

"HITs. To prevent strains of disease from getting out if the building's security was ever compromised, HITs deploy, setting the air on fire. It will decimate the building and everything inside." Jenner's voice was eerily calm, his expression once again vacant. "I told you, once that door closed up there it wouldn't open again." Jenner spun around again, hit a few buttons and suddenly the door to the control center drew down to a close before them.

"Hey!" Daryl shouted at Jenner. "You locking us in? You son of a bitch!" He ran at Jenner's seat. Shane pulled him away at the last-minute. "He can't do this!" Daryl argued, shaking him off.

Shane raced to the back wall, tossing Daryl the axe next to the fire extinguisher. As Daryl began hitting on the door, Shane pitched the red fire extinguisher against the barrier. It bounced off like a rubber ball.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner explained, almost sounding amused as he watched the two.

"But your head ain't!" Daryl shouted, again angrily running at him and aiming his axe at Jenner's head, determined to cause the man pain.

This time it took three of the men to keep him away from the doctor. "It's better this way." Jenner spoke quietly, but still over the ominous clicking of the clock. "You do want this. Why fight it? What's left out there is a short brutal life. One tiny moment, no pain. Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate, to hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"

"Not if it ain't a choice. That's not kind or compassionate, that's just murder." Alex opposed Jenner calmly, and all eyes turned to him. Even Shane lowered his shotgun when he began to speak.

"Suicide is a practical way out, sure. It's _always_ been there for anyone at any time... even before all this. But that's not our choice. Out there, living's a fight, but that's a choice too. _Our choice_. You have no right to make that decision for me or anyone else in this goddamn room." His voice grew louder but remained steady. "A short, brutal life? It's always been that way. It's what we make of our short brutal lives that counts."

"The beginning of this disease... That was the end." Jenner countered earnestly, matching Alex's penetrating gaze. "There's no hope, there never has been."

"No." Alex took just one step forward, pointing his finger at the doctor. "_You_ ain't got no hope. You want this to be everyone's choice. But it ain't."

Jenner remained silent, unmoved.

" 'member yer hypocratic oath? Doctor's preserve life, they don't take it. You really wanna do that to them?" Alex purposely pointed to the two children, crying and huddling against their mothers.

Two minutes. Two more minutes were wasted in silence before Jenner finally sighed and shook his head. He'd gotten through.

"I told you, topside's locked down. I can't open those." He punched a code into the remote control in his hand, opening the door once again.

"We have five minutes, come on!" Glenn shouted, and everybody immediately ran down the hallway, both the direction of their rooms and the elevator.

"I'm grateful." Rick said to Jenner offering his hand.

The doctor shook it, but leaned in close to whisper in his ear, leaving Rick expressionless. "The day will come when you won't be."

"Everybody, get your stuff, lets go!" Daryl hustled them all out into the hallway, remaining in place until everybody was out.

Almost everybody.

Jacqui and Jenner had just dropped into a chair when he turned around, and Dale was in the midst of trying to convince Andrea to leave with him. But it was the last person that stole his attention.

The two met the other's gaze for a split second, and Daryl's anger spiked when he realized what was happening.

"Tell Emma I'm sorry." Alex said evenly, backing even further away from the way out. The exit he'd just fought for.

...The fucker was gonna stay.

**May you never steal, lie, or cheat, **

**but if you must steal, then steal away my sorrows, **

**and if you must lie, lie with me all the nights of my life, **

**and if you must cheat, then please cheat death **

**because I couldn't live a day without you.**

**-Rashida Rowe **


End file.
